St Andrews in Focus Issue 41 Jul Aug 2010

St Andrews in focus •• shopping shopping •• eating eating •• events events •• town/gown town/gown •• people people and and more more

July July // August August 2010 2010 Issue Issue 41, 41, £1.50 £1.50

the award winning magazine for St Andrews www.standrewsinfocus.com www.standrewsinfocus.com

Eileen Bone, the winner of this year’s St Andrews Art Club competition, introduces herself and her inspiration: I have always had an interest in painting, but between work, family and other commitments I never seemed to find the time.

In 2000 I retired from research in microbiology, back to St Andrews in my native Fife. I then had the time and opportunity to take up painting, and joined the Art Club shortly afterwards.

Since then I have attended classes and workshops run by the Club, finding these very helpful and enjoyable. They have given me much more confidence in painting, and my work has benefited greatly.

St Andrews has a wealth of interesting subjects to paint, and for this painting I chose the East end of the Cathedral as seen through an archway of the old chapter-house. I was inspired by the light on the Cathedral contrasting with the dark shadow areas of the stone arch, and by the way in which the Cathedral was framed by the arch.

Swimwear at Elspeth’s of St Andrews

14b Woodburn Terrace, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8BA Tel: 01334 477 491 Mob: 0770 315 4537 www.standrewsplumber.com 9 Church Street, St Andrews Tel: 01334 472494

2

* Gas boilers maintained & fitted * * All plumbing / heating works * * Bathrooms & showers *

St Andrews in focus • shopping • eating • events • town/gown • people and more

From the Editor When this magazine launched more than 6 years ago I had absolutely no idea how things would work out. So it gives me enormous pleasure today to have a sizeable local distribution and world-wide circulation (as well as 36 pages of the most encouraging emails from all over!) A delightful new development has come about: Sounds of North-East Fife, set up by both Soroptomists and Rotary as a service for the blind (see details on p8, issue 40) asked permission to read extracts from the magazine in their fortnightly audio-newsletter on CD. In the pipeline, too, is a possible East Neuk in Focus – a daughter publication.

Discussions are ongoing, with Sept/Oct as a possible start date. I’ve always said that the potential of a local magazine is almost limitless, providing the will is there. When will someone come forward to set up St Andrews in Focus as a functioning town business employing local people? I’m still hopeful! Meanwhile, to boost the magazine still further, anyone outwith St Andrews who introduces a new subscriber will be rewarded with one year’s free subscription.

Summer....yes / no?? this year, next year, sometime – never? Rain or shine, whichever, have a good one anyway!

Flora Selwyn

********

The views expressed elsewhere in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor.

JULY / AUGUST 2010 EDITOR Flora Selwyn Tel: 01334 472375 Email: editor@standrewsinfocus.com DESIGNER University of St Andrews Print & Design PRINTER Trendell Simpson DISTRIBUTER Elspeth’s of Guardbridge PUBLISHER (address for correspondence) Local Publishing (Fife) Ltd., PO Box 29210, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9YZ. Tel: 01334 472375 Email: editor@standrewsinfocus.com SUBSCRIPTIONS St Andrews in Focus is published 6 times a year.

Subscriptions for 6 issues are: £12.50 in the UK (post & packing included).

Please send cheques to: Local Publishing (Fife) Ltd., PO Box 29210, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9YZ. £22 overseas (post and packing included).

Please use PayPal account: editor@StAndrewsinFocus.com NOTE: please pay with a Personal Bank Account, as credit cards incur a 3.9% charge.

REGISTERED IN SCOTLAND: 255564 THE PAPER USED IS 80% RECYCLED POST-CONSUMER WASTE

Contents FEATURES • From the Community Council • Merry-go-round • Dancing Duo • More Melville Reid • Questionable Definition • Alice in Euroland • Toonspot • What is Innerpeffray?

• Ask the Curator • The Rev’d Eric Liddell • Reviews – Fate & Fortune; Hue & Cry – Let’s Look – As Time Goes By – Heavenly Light – Luftwaffe Over Scotland

4 4 5 6 7 7 7 8 9 10 10 11 11 12 12

SHOPS & SERVICES • A dream come true • Genealogy research • Funfairs & models • Business advice • The James Pirie Award • St Andrews Business Club • Wills & Living Wills • The local property market • VAT miscellany • Roving Reporter

13 14 15 16 17 17 19 20 21 23

ORGANISATIONS • Fruit trees • St Andrews United Football Club • N E Fife Stroke & Splash Club • Fair Trade & The Open • The Bell Pettigrew Museum

24 24 25 25 25

TOWN/GOWN • D’Arcy Thompson • Tea at the Palace • Town – Gown • The IPA • The saef Conference

26 27 27 28 28

EVENTS • Crail Festival • Music at St Salvator’s Chapel • The Fraser Gallery • Summer at the Byre • Seaside villages to big cities • St Andrews Art club • Selected Events

30 30 31 32 32 33 33

OUT AND ABOUT • Scotland’s 5th colourist • The Chain Walk • Seagulls • Gladiolus

34 34 35 35

NEXT ISSUE – Sep/Oct 2010 COPY DEADLINE: STRICTLY 28 JULY

All contributions welcome. The Editor reserves the right to publish copy according to available space.

3

FEATURES Community Councillor R A Murphy on how to

Save Money and the Planet A project run by the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council has been awarded a grant of over £110,000 by Keep Scotland Beautiful who administer the Climate Challenge Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. The project is intended to benefit all households in St Andrews and help us change our behaviour when it comes to wasting energy. We will all save money as a result.

The committee delegated to deliver the project comprises Ian Goudie, Chair of St Andrews Community Council, Patrick Marks, Secretary, and Councillors Ronnie Murphy and Carol Ashworth, supplemented by Roddy Yarr who lives and works in the town and has been largely responsible for pulling the work together.

The project is known as St Andrews Energy Network “STandEN” and its Board has two Community Councillors and representatives from Fife Council and VONEF “Voluntary Organisations North East Fife”. They supervise Eco St Andrews, which will result in the

creation of 5 new local jobs, a full-time Energy Co-ordinator and four part-time Energy Champions. They will be given full training in the skills required for the project.

You can find Eco St Andrews on the web at: www.standrewsenergy.org Eco St Andrews aims, by an energy efficiency programme, to reduce the town of St Andrews carbon footprint by 3% pro rata of the 2008 levels of 921 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. One of the main activities will be door-to-door house visits in St Andrews to carry out surveys and provide advice on smart meters to reduce energy consumption, solar panels, draught proofing, heating controls, boilers, energy assistance packages, reflective film behind radiators on outside walls and possibly double glazing as well as grant funding available towards the cost of part or all of such works. Whenever possible local tradesman will be used to carry out the energy saving works.

The project should be fully operational

by August 2010 and must be completed by the end of March 2011. It is intended to collaborate with ENLEN “East Neuk and Landward Energy Network” a similar project covering the East Neuk area and

Ian Seeley, inspired by a hand-cranked roundabout

Merry-Go-Round

He cranks the handle and it turns; The miniature fairground organ at its core Out-voices glee and laughter, and churns Out each melodious, sickly waltz with more Hypnotic power than ever Strauss intended; And blue-jeaned mothers and their mothers Gaze upon their passing progeny whose mended Tears and tantrums now it smothers In a kind of unreal glaze.

The one side sees the other, But centrifugal force and music daze Cognizance for the child and mother; There, yet not there; normality suspended; And granny’s seen it all before; it may not show But, deep within, she knows it can’t be fended Off, the message of the roundabout – how Every dream may end when the ride is o’er.

She knows about the glaze and daze and knows how sour Existence may become when loved ones pass or things go wrong – life’s lot – And nothing is forever; a merry-go-round; step up and take your turn and ride, But know, just as the child must learn, the magic is a fleeting Pleasure; you have no secret place to hide.

Who cranks the handle? What force ordains the beating Pulse of life that may not be ignored, that plays The music for our go? The merry-go-round Rolls on – it has no answers, but displays That likeness to the carousel of life. So, sound The sugared waltz, for bitter pills abound; Embrace the fleeting pleasures of the merry-go-round.

(Photo, Flora Selwyn)

4

H.I.S. “home insulation scheme” working in St Andrews as fully as possible. H.I.S. provides complimentary energy saving services in the form of loft and cavity wall insulation and is also funded by the Scottish Government, endorsed by Fife Council and delivered by the Energy Saving Trust.

The project is designed to benefit all members of the community through financial savings and improved home comforts. Energy Champions will give priority to those people who register their interest in having their homes surveyed for energy saving.

If you would like to be visited early in the programme please e-mail rmurphy@mddc.co.uk or write to Helen Rorrison at VONEF, Volunteer House, 69-73 Crossgate, Cupar, Fife, KY15 5AS. The project is supported by Fife Council, VONEF, St Andrews University, Sitar Ramsay at Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre and many other local and student organisations including St Andrews Partnership, Scottish Enterprise, Holy Trinity Church Eco-Congregation, Hope Park Church Eco-Congregation and Cosmos.

FEATURES Flora Selwyn has the greatest pleasure knowing this

Dancing Duo

Two students came to the University of scanning electron microscopes,” one of which St Andrews, but didn’t meet. He graduated in was used to examine the first rock samples 1962 in Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s brought back from the moon. Modified in College, Dundee, when it was still part of 1974 to become electron beam lithography St Andrews University. She graduated in 1963 machines, they were used to manufacture in French and German. Yet they had a lot in early integrated circuits; that is, silicon chips. common. So it wasn’t surprising that when John holds two patents relating to electron they eventually did meet they got married! beam lithography.

Sheena Sturrock was It was Scottish music born in Edinburgh. After and Country Dancing graduation she became which cemented the It was Scottish music a secretary at the Scott relationship. John has Polar Research Institute in dancing since he was and Country Dancing been Cambridge, going on to “life eight years old. At school which cemented the in the library of Homerton in Edinburgh, he was College.” In addition, as a taught by Iain Robertson, relationship Blue Badge Guide, Sheena who danced for the Queen “led tours in French and at Holyrood Palace as German for native speakers a member of the Royal of those languages.”

Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) John Sturrock was born in Dundee. He International Team, and also travelled too went to Cambridge – to the prestigious abroad with Miss Milligan. In Cambridge, Cambridge Instrument Company, “founded in John co-founded the local branch of the 1881 by Charles Darwin’s youngest son.” The RSCDS, and became its chairman. Currently, company name changed in the ’90s to Leica, he is a member of the RSCDS Technique having bought that famous camera firm. John Panel which adjudicates “on points arising “designed part of the world’s first commercial concerning the interpretation of dances and dance techniques.”

He has just relinquished the chair of the St Andrews branch of the RSCDS, one of a select few to hold such office in more than one branch.

Sheena is the granddaughter of Herbert Wiseman, an exact contemporary of Miss Milligan who co-founded the RSCDS. Sheena says that “Herbert Sword Dance

John & Sheena Sturrock was to Scottish dance music what Miss Milligan was to Scottish dance.” He arranged the music for the RSCDS Books 6 to 19.

Trained classically on the violin, Sheena and her pianist grandfather regularly played duets together. Herbert Wiseman was organist at Holy Trinity Church in St Andrews and taught music at Madras College. Sheena says that today she “fiddles, somewhere, almost every day, including with student orchestras and chamber groups, at Billy Anderson’s class in St Andrews, and in Bill Baxter’s Scots Fiddle Group, as well as for Scottish Country and Ceilidh dances.” For the past 10 years she has been on the music staff of the RSCDS Summer School in St Andrews. Apart from all that, Sheena plays most Sundays with the organist at Kemback Church services. A true virtuoso!

When they retired from their professions in Cambridge, Sheena and John bought the most beautiful country retreat near Cupar, sort of equidistant between Dundee, St Andrews, and Edinburgh. Here they have tamed their 4-acre garden, once sadly neglected. There is a well-preserved 17th century doocot in the grounds which serves as their wine cellar! With six grandchildren spread between France and London, Sheena and John enjoy a very happy family life. Sheena says wistfully that the grandchildren are fairly young, as yet, to dance, but “be nice if they would.”

Scottish Country Dance is enjoyed throughout the world. Indeed, when the Summer School convenes in St Andrews, members come from every corner of the globe. John and Sheena have danced and fiddled in many countries, for Scottish dancers are welcomed wherever they go. Perhaps their most unusual experience occurred in 1972, at the height of the Cold War. They took part in a two-week tour of Russia, staying three nights in Samarkand. They organised an eightsome reel to the music of a local Uzbek band of balalaikas and weird wind instruments!

Life for Sheena and John is never, ever dull!

(Photos courtesy John & Sheena Sturrock)

Playing for dancing

Sheena plays for John

5

FEATURES Lindsay Matheson contacted your editor about a whole new side to Melville Reid (see Issue 9, March/April 2005, also issue 35, July/Aug 2009)

Truly, a Town Treasure Nonagenarian Melville Reid is one of St Andrews’ most colourful and a useful source for several local researchers, multi-talented residents. Born in 1919 he grew up in the town, attended including Ken Paterson, currently writing a Madras College, then joined the Post Office rather than pursue a career book about the war service of each of the 74 that would have taken him away from his home town. His varied interests former pupils of Madras who gave their lives include painting, music, and photography, in the two world for which he became well known. From wars of last Melville Reid * Nonagenarian Melville Reid is one the age of 12 he has sung in the Episcopal century. of St Andrews’ most colourful and Church choir, and continues to do so. He has Once demobbed and back in multi-talented residents composed music all his life, writing the words St Andrews, Melville spent 10 months for his songs, all of which he still remembers. on the dole before, quite by chance, His teenage years saw him out in the becoming a postman for £3 15s a week, town capturing scenes of local life, first with “1/6 extra if you cleaned your bicycle”, with his “Brownie” camera, then with ever until he retired 25 years later. By that time more sophisticated equipment. In 1937 he he had become probably the best-known acquired a clockwork colour movie camera and most popular resident of the town and with which he captured the Cooperative those surrounding areas covered by his Picnic, town trading scenes, the Madras many ‘beats’.

College Sports, and a dare-devil slalom A wonderful sense of pawky and selfdown a steep winding street with the whirring effacing humour makes Melville a delight device perched on the handlebars of his bike! to know, and a fund of fascinating tales of His 9.5mm films have been transposed onto present and past days ... in his favourite videotapes, and now CDs. Melville proudly place on earth. As Lindsay says, “They shows off his wind-up cine camera, a tiny don’t make ‘em like this now!” and simple device, and says: “It still works, Madras College (Original colour photos of course”. His collection of prints and cine courtesy Melville Reid. film is a treasure of those times. Just the * By Flora Selwyn) other week he discovered four tinted celluloid negatives that he had never had printed – from 1937. With the help of St Andrews PS – A pupil at Madras College University’s David Roche at Print and from 1961 to 1964, Ken Paterson is Design, these were finally developed, currently researching the men who are over 70 years on, and in perfect condition! commemorated on the Madras College Reproduced here are some examples War Memorials for the First and Second showing a scene in the Madras Quad and World Wars. There are a number of another in the Mercat opposite the Cross names proving difficult to identify, and Keys. With his pin-sharp memory Melville he would be grateful for any information happily recalls most of the names of the readers may have about the following pupils in the school scene. Don’t be fooled, men: the large chap in plus fours striding across Market Street First World War – D Anderson; T Brown; Madras College quad, who you might think R Henderson; D McCall; R Rattray. was a teacher, is one Ramsay, a Largoward Second World War – Donald farmer’s son, age 12, who stood well over Coulthard, recorded as having served 6 feet and in whose rugby boots other boys in the Rhodesian Rifles. could stand ... with their own boots on!

Called up in 1939 in the Second World Please contact Ken Paterson if you War, Melville served from March 1942 to 31st can help: Tel: 01455 282 340, email: December 1944 as a Private in the Royal kp.paterson@btopenworld.com Army Medical Corps in India, where in his words “nothing happened”. He traversed the whole Continent in “3 triangular journeys.” A ship, the Melchoir Treub, took up to 25 troops away from the Burmese border with India. It had on board “a properly-dressed steward, who asked, ‘Would any of you gentlemen Smith et al Clacher et al like a drink?’ It was only later,” recalls Melville, “that they realised they had escaped the Japanese invasion”.

Never inactive himself Melville kept a fascinating scrapbook made up of cuttings from The Citizen that he received from home. This has proved

Melville’s Baby Brownie camera, wind-up cine camera, & battery radio (all in working order) *

6

Page from an album while – in India of Citizen cuttings * g win dra ’s Melville

Page from an album of Indi an cinema memorabilia *

FEATURES Maxine Latinis

Show Racism the Red Card, the UK’s premier antiracist charity, was pleased to announce its 2010 creative competition, supported by the SQA, LTS, and EIS. Maxine Latinis (Madras College) – won in the Category – S4 to S6, with her poem ‘Questionable Definition’, addressing racism and what prompts it “Racism has no place in Scotland and we want to get that message across loud and clear through our creative competition. Our 2010 competition was bigger and more inclusive than before, with categories for further education colleges and special schools. Entries were welcomed from individuals and class groups. All entrants had to do was develop a piece of creative work getting across loud and clear our message that racism is not welcome in Scotland.”

Questionable Definition Bizarre There are no limits: A boiling pot of accents, Comments on hair type, Yet undoubtedly it’s the comment of colour that counts.

A joke, Passing thought Or even an innocent mock.

Who draws the definitive line?

Who is the voice that authorizes?

Perhaps we leave it to mood, Or a definition of our own autonomy.

Nevertheless the containerless battle continues.

To find the resolution Must we conceal our past?

Have our history stashed like old sweets in a jar?

There is the -the other path:Flaunt all as a pre-nuptial agreement to have security in no future mockery.

Chinky here!

Half Cast there!

All said without contemplation of possible connotations.

To one it is simply a harmless joke, But pounding in another’s mind It plays tricks.

Nudging at their fear of judgment Belonging to an assortment, tends not to tickle everyone’s mind.

Colin McAllister

Alice in Euroland – a Sonnet

There are four countries that are called the PIGS, * Replete with sunshine, olives, wine and figs.

All four are in economic distress, So how did they all get into this mess?

These countries that are on the southern fringe All went on a fiscal policy binge, As in euros they could easily borrow Without giving any thought to tomorrow.

The euro’s monetary straitjacket In the end will cost them quite a packet.

If they could let their currencies float, They’d not need help from the euro-lifeboat.

Countries that don’t play the monetary fool Are wise to remember the Tinbergen Rule!**

*

PIGS – Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain

** Tinbergen Rule states that the number of independent policy instruments must equal the number of independent policy targets. Policy instruments are: fiscal policy, monetary policy, supply side policies, welfare policies, and exchange rate policies. Policy targets are: full employment, stable prices, economic growth, greater equality in the distribution of income and wealth, and balance of payments equilibrium.

7

FEATURES Anne Edgar, former Keeper of Books, asks

What is Innerpeffray?

Innerpeffray is Scotland’s oldest free public lending library, “a lofty wellnever was a historic character, but because he was a goodie, Shakespeare proportioned room, its fine windows giving magnificent views of the made him into the mythical ancestor of King James VI and I. As for the winding River Earn, and the rich farmlands of Strathearn. To the west and real Macbeth, King of Scots for 17 years 1040 -1057, who visited the Pope north rise the Grampians, and southward the Ochil Hills.” in Rome 1050, and distributed largess in the streets; was he as bad as A three-quarter mile drive descends from the quiet B8062. A green painted, or did the victors re-write history? lane leads you beside the stone walls of a 19th Century School House, Witchcraft has Sander’s Chiromancy1653, showing palm reading, where the Keeper of Books lives. Six sash windows of the attached Physiognomie – where are: The Judgements of the Hairs according to schoolroom light the monthly talks of FOIL – Friends of Innerpeffray. In their ƒubƒtance and colours. For instance: Black Hair proceeds from 1889, Innerpeffray School had 29 pupils. Present-day schoolchildren an exceƒƒive aduƒt choler and Red Hair denotes a head not aduƒt but love visiting, imagining schooldays of the diminiƒhed and moderate. past. St Mary’s Chapel comes next with its A Treatise of Spectres by T.B. impressive yews, then the Library, a white 1658, deals with Dreams, Visions, and 18th Century two-storied building. The Revelations and the Cunning Deluƒions of important room is upstairs. the Devil. The Discovery of Witchcraft by David Drummond, 3rd Lord Madertie, Reginald Scot 1665, likewise Unchristian who fought alongside his brother-in-law Practises and Inhumane Dealings of Montrose during the Civil War, founded Searchers and Witch-tryers upon Aged, and endowed the Library. He learnt to Melancholly, and Superstitious people, enjoy reading whilst imprisoned. Later, in exhorting Confeƒƒions by Terrors and after Montrose’s execution, David thought Tortures, deviƒing falƒe Marks. all this marauding around killing each A 1747 Jacobite Trial of Archibald other was bad; better if people learned to Stewart, Esq; late Provost of Edinburgh read. The original Library was housed up … for Neglect of Duty, and Misbehaviour a winding stair in the loft of the Chapel. in the Execution of his Office September In 1680, David’s 400 books contained ‘all 1745. Also The Trial of James Stewart in the knowledge in the world’ – in English, Aucharn in Duror of Appin for the Murder Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish, of Colin Campbell of Glenure, Esq: at and Portuguese. For more than 300 years Inverness,1752. James Stewart was falsely The Borrowing Record is continuous the library’s unique collections have been accused of murder. For 18 months his body available. David also founded the school. was left to hang on the gibbet at the south from 1747 to 1968 The present Library building was end of the Ballachulish Ferry. Battered constructed by 1762 by David’s great-great nephew, Bishop Robert by winds and rain, Stewart’s body rapidly disintegrated. When only his Hay, who inherited the property and added ‘Drummond’ to his surname. skeleton remained, it was held together by chains and wires. Guarded With his architect Charles Freebairn, and banker Robertson Barclay, night and day, the grisly spectacle served as a stark warning to the restless Robert reopened the library in1763, having become Archbishop of York Highland clans. Robert Louis Stevenson used this plot for Catriona, his in 1761. A good Whig, he preached the coronation sermon to George sequel to Kidnapped. Alan Breck Stewart was a real character.

III. His books on law, history/geography, maths (Newton), the Scottish My three favourites are: Josephus, a 1st-Century Jewish historian, Enlightenment, and social comment, have great breadth. who recorded the Destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, surrendered to the The Borrowing Record is continuous from 1747 to 1968, showing the Roman forces invading Galilee AD67, becoming a prisoner and providing borrowers and the actual works lent out, an enormous boon for social Vespasian and his son Titus, both subsequently Roman emperors, with historians trawling the records with a fine-tooth comb, showing how many intelligence on the ongoing revolt. In AD69 Josephus was released and people could read. Paul Kaufman wrote in 1969, “The simple descriptions negotiated with the defenders in the Siege of Jerusalem. The Jewes are on the record appear quite commonplace. Its importance becomes displayed in Greek 1544, and in English 1620. The former is a favourite. suddenly apparent when we realize that this is the only known record Although ‘all Greek to me’, it is beautifully put together. The Decameron of the kind surviving in Scotland from the 18th Century; and even more 1620, I read when I was an air-headed 18 year-old. In 14th Century striking when we are reminded that only one other similar record, that of Italy, ƒeuen Honourable Ladies, and three Noble Gentlemen took refuge the Bristol Library, has been preserved in the whole of Britain, if not the together in a fortified country residence, to ride out the plague. Each whole of Europe.” Bristol’s Registers were from 1773-1853. told a story a day, for 10 days – very sexy stories! Innerpeffray has an Who borrowed books?- no butchers, bakers, or candlestick-makers! illustrated copy, hidden in the back of Boccaccio’s other work, The Modell But there was a: Barber, bookseller, captain (army), cooper, dyer, dyer of Wit, Mirth, Eloquence and Conuerƒation 1625. Wither’s A collection of apprentice, factor, farmer, flaxdresser, gardener, glover, mason, merchant, Emblemes 1635 shows quite tongue-in-cheek poetry, with a witty 2-liner at miller, minister, quarrier, scholar (school child), schoolmaster, servant, the head of each with delightful roundel illustrations. shoemaker, student (of humanity, divinity, philosophy), smith, surgeon, surgeon apprentice, tailor, watchmaker, weaver, wright, and an ‘Esquire’ (Images courtesy Anne Edgar) status.

The collection, ‘a room full of brown books’, includes 3,000 titles printed prior to 1800, and a further 1,400 published after. The ‘English Short Title Catalogue’ shows Innerpeffray having 884 titles pre-1701, and 890 titles between 1701 and 1800. The foreign books are being recorded now (only the Mitchell and University Libraries in Glasgow, the Advocates and National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh have more pre-1701 titles.) Many subjects are catered for: History, Languages, Maths, Religion, Law, 18th Century, Current Affairs, and a long run of Scots Magazine, 1739 to 1786. Natural History of Barbados 1750 has plant engravings dedicated to noble subscribers.

Buffon’s French 48 volume Historie Naturelle with Oiseaux and Quadrupeds has hand-painted engravings. Late 19th Century Miniature Bibles are much loved.

Shakespeare wrote ‘Macbeth’ in 1606; where did he get the story?

It’s fairly well known that Shakespeare got his history from Holinshed’s illustrated Chronicles of England, Scotlande and Irelande 1577.

Banquo, Macbeth, and the three witches are mentioned, but where did Holinhead get his story? Hector Boece, a Dundee man wrote, in Latin, Scotorum historiae 1527, “translatit laitly in our vulgar and common language” in Hystory and Cronikalis of Scotland circa1540.

Here is mention of Banquo, Macbeth, and the three witches. Banquo

8

FEATURES St Andrews Museum Curator, Lesley-Anne Lettice has the answer

Ask the Curator

Q. During a recent visit to St Andrews Museum I noticed some photographs of the old Step Rock Pool and wondered if you could provide some more information about its history?

A. The area around the Step Rock was popular with male swimmers for many years, but it was not until 1873 that the first bathing shelter was built for their use. The Step Rock Pool (300ft long by 100ft wide) was constructed around 1903. The Step Rock complex was built in the early 1930s and mixed bathing was allowed for the first time. Up until this point female bathers had their own pool at the Castle.

The Step Rock was immensely popular with locals and visitors alike. It had its own Amateur Lifeguard Corps and a Swimming Club, which provided swimming classes and also took part in competitions. The Step Rock was a great place for families and was a popular meeting place for young people. Swimming and diving galas and events such as ‘bathing belle’ competitions brought thousands of visitors to St Andrews The trend for indoor, heated swimming pools brought an end to the popularity of the ‘Steppie’. The East Sands Leisure Centre opened in the early 1980s and the Step Rock complex was demolished. Part of the site is now home to the St Andrews Sealife Centre.

Q. Can you tell me what the first film shown at the old Cinema House on North Street was?

A. The cinema opened its doors in 1913 and is thought to be the first purposebuilt cinema in Scotland – most earlier venues being converted churches and theatres. The first silent film shown was Lorna Doone. Musical accompaniment and sound effects were supplied by a small orchestra. In 1929 new projectors and sound equipment were installed so that the cinema could show the new ‘talkies’. The first ‘talkie’ shown was The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson.

Many smaller cinemas were forced to close their doors around this time because they couldn’t afford the new technology. The Cinema House carried on entertaining the people of St Andrews until 1979, despite competition from the New Picture House, which opened in 1931. The Cinema House finally closed in 1979. The last film shown was The Buddy Holly Story.

(Photos courtesy Lesley-Anne Lettice)

9

FEATURES From Tom Duncan, Elder, Hope Park Parish Church

‘Chariots of Fire’ This year marks the 85th anniversary of the visit to new World Record time. One month after his visit to Hope Park Parish Church of the famous ‘Chariots St Andrews, Liddell returned to China, where along of Fire’ athlete, Eric Liddell, who preached here with other foreign nationals, he was caught up in on the 31st May,1925. He came in his role as a the turmoil of the civil war and Japanese invasion.

Student Evangelist, accompanied by his good friend, He was interned in a prison camp at Wiehsien in and companion on such occasions, the Rev D P Shantung Province. Selflessy he devoted his time Thomson, the leader of the Students Evangelistic there to the service of his fellow prisoners. Within Movement, who was a Hope Parker. three years, in February 1945, he Thomson preached at Martyrs died from a brain tumour at the age Church at 11.00am that day, and of 43.

I have no words to Eric Liddell in Hope Park at our then Among the many tributes 6.00pm service. made then and since, one man express the sterling Lidell was born in China to said, “I have no words to express quality of this Scottish missionary parents. the sterling quality of this wonderful The story goes that he was to be man. In our many hours of despair, wonderful man christened ‘Henry Eric Liddell’; he taught us what faith in God his parents luckily realised in time really means”. Almost 2,000 people that his initials would be HEL! attended Eric Liddell’s funeral After graduating from Edinburgh with a BSc in service, where they were reminded that it was the Pure Science, Liddell became a science teacher.

Apostle Paul who had instructed his friends to ‘Run However, he realised his real calling by becoming to Win’. In the spiritual race, Eric Liddell ‘Ran to Win’, the Rev Eric Liddell, in the service of the London and he won gloriously.

Missionary Society. Selected in 1924 to represent The brief epitaph at the end of the film ‘Chariots Britain in the 100 metres at the Paris Olympic of Fire’ reads: “Eric Liddell, missionary, died in Games, Liddell refused to run on a Sunday, and occupied China at the end of World War II. All was switched to the 400 metres, which he won in a Scotland mourned”.

(Photo scanned from Scotland on Sunday, 3-8-08)

Reviews: Sarah Cunningham reviews

The Hew Cullen Mysteries

by Shirley McKay Hue & Cry is available in paperback price £7.99 (ISBN 978 1 84697 152 5) and Fate & Fortune (published in June) price £12.99, both by Shirley McKay. Both books are published by Polygon, available in all good bookshops, or directly at: www.polygonbooks.co.uk Everybody loves a good detective story, just look at the shelves in your local bookshop or switch on the television any night for confirmation of that, but the popularity of the genre means it has to constantly reinvent itself to remain interesting, presenting something new about the main character, the setting or the nature of the crime that makes it stand out from the crowd.

A recent recruit to the ranks of crime fiction does all that, and more.

The Hew Cullan Mysteries by Shirley McKay feature a young lawyer recently returned home to St Andrews from France where he’s been studying, and immediately caught up in solving crimes that threaten those closest to him. So far so what, but Hew Cullan is fighting crime in the 1580s, not 2010. No CSI, no Luminol and definitely no high-speed computers to tell you ‘whodunit’. All Hew can rely on is a healthy distrust of authority, an open mind and a strong sense of justice.

Hue & Cry, the first Hew Cullan Mystery – out now in paperback – introduces Hew, fresh off the boat and looking for an excuse not to go home where he and his father don’t see eye to eye. Luckily for Hew, but not for his friend Nicholas Colp, a young boy is found dead and Nicholas is the prime suspect. The dead boy was a private pupil of Nicholas’ – a Regent at St Andrews University – and some incriminating letters hint at ‘unnatural passions’ between the two. According to the dour Kirk it’s an open and shut case, but as Hew investigates, it soon becomes apparent that it’s really a Pandora’s Box of repressed emotion and twisted righteousness. Murder is stalking the streets and Hew must battle to save his friend from the gallows.

Fate & Fortune, the brand new Hew Cullan Mystery, sees Hew two years older, though not much wiser. Now the head of the household in St Andrews following the death of his father, he tries to escape his responsibilities for as long as possible by taking his father’s manuscript for a law book to Edinburgh to be published. Under the watchful eye of his father’s old colleague, Richard Cunningham, Hew reluctantly finishes

10

his law training, but prefers haunting the print shop of Christian Hall, a young widow with a small child. A welcome distraction soon turns into a dangerous game as first Christian’s shop is vandalised and her presses confiscated, then her son is kidnapped and his nursemaid brutally murdered. A long hidden secret is rising from the dead and seems to have Hew in its sights.

Shirley McKay is a former winner of the Young Observer play-writing competition, studied English and linguistics at St Andrews University, and had an early version of Hue & Cry shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award. In the Hew Cullan Mysteries all these strands of her life – language, history, and drama – come together wonderfully well in her creation of Hew and his world. Both Hue & Cry and Fate & Fortune have been meticulously researched, bringing alive a period in history far less well known than its English Elizabethan counterpart. There is always the potential in historical writing of any genre to become bogged down in unnecessary detail or to stop your reader in their tracks with authentic language of the time, but Shirley manages to make the Scotland of the 1580s both authentic and accessible at the same time. Hew is recognisably of his time, but he’s also simply a young man facing problems and choices that are still relevant today. He likes fashion and passion in equal measure, and would much rather be living it up than settling down to life as a lawyer and head of the family, but duty calls. He’s spent much of his life studying the law, but he’s still not sure if it’s what he really wants to do.

If you fancy taking a trip somewhere a little different this summer you’d do well to lose yourself in the Hew Cullan Mysteries. The sights and sounds – and smells – of sixteenth century Scotland blend seamlessly with gripping storylines full of human frailties that will keep you absorbed till the very end!

FEATURES: REVIEWS Nikki Macdonald, Education Officer at the Botanic Garden

‘Let’s Look’ at St Andrews Botanic Garden The guide, published by St Andrews Botanic Garden Education Trust, costs £2, and is available at the Gatehouse of the Botanic Garden adjacent to the car park.

Let’s Look is a new guidebook, which adds an extra dimension to your visit to the Garden. It has been compiled with everyone in mind and is ideal for those wishing to discover more about the wonderful plants at St Andrews Botanic Garden. The guide covers plants both in the Glasshouses and the Grounds so you can tailor your visit to any weather!

The guide leads you on a trail through the Garden pointing out plants of special interest and transforming your visit from a delightful stroll into an educational experience. Find out which plants have medicinal uses, how plants grow in the Rainforest, which plants are pollinated by birds, and much, much more!

Let’s Look is full of ideas for parents and families to set little challenges for children who are being introduced to the wonderful world of plants. It can be used again and again and passed on to family and friends. Find a plant that was planted the year you were born! Hunt for the large ‘rhubarb-like’ plant covered in spikes by the pond edge! Find the tree that was nibbled by plant-eating Dinosaurs! Go on a squirrel hunt through the grounds! Children can gain an understanding of the importance of plants in a fun and engaging way, while adults of all ages can fill in ‘the gaps’ and learn something new. Let’s Look contains a

map of the grounds and numbered points of interest, with sketches of the things you will see on your travels. It covers Desert, Mountains, Warm Temperate regions, Rainforest, Woodland, Ponds and streams, and Rock Garden.

The guide was written by Edith Cormack and Anne Outram who have a long-standing love and knowledge of the Garden, with many thanks to Jean Kemp, Education Officer from January 2006 to December 2009. The delightful illustrations are by Isobel Currie, and the wonderful cover photographs, front and back, courtesy of Richard Cormack.

The Garden is open seven days a week from 10.00am to 7.00pm in summer (winter, from October, 10.00am to 4.00pm). Further information and directions are available on the website http://www.st-andrews-botanic.org/ Many thanks to Celebrating Fife 2010, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the University of St Andrews Print and Design Unit, whose support enabled the publishing of this guide.

Hazel Gifford reviews

As Time Goes By

by Betty Willsher Published by Librario, 2010 [ISBN 978-1-906775-17-9].

Available at J & G Innes, and all good bookshops, price £11.99 Have you ever felt frustrated when a friend says “oh, things were so different then!” but cannot recall anything much to explain why they say this? Here is a delightful collection of reminiscences by a well-known local author, who can indeed tell you, with her amazing memory, and a flair for telling anecdotes with an infectious sense of humour. This volume follows A Scottish Family (2005), but is different in scope and intention. She describes a happy childhood as the eldest of three in a doctor’s family in Co. Durham; then as a student in St Andrews. She found her life as a trained Nursery School teacher very fulfilling, in England during and after the War, and then here in St Andrews. How could one not warm towards a fairly ‘modern’ young woman, on her wedding day feeling rather nervous, alone in the house with her father, “ so we both had a glass of sherry and I sucked a peppermint” – the mixture of gentle humour with serious matters is ever present.

Betty has a younger brother John. Their childhood was full of games and mischief, holidays in Scarborough, picnics and fun.

John was the one with ‘bright’ ideas, like pulling out the stair-rods and creating a slide with the carpet if the parents were out, using trays, then dangerously clambering back up the outside of the staircase! There were rules, of course, but on the whole they received encouragement more than reprimand.

Betty’s life as a St Andrews undergraduate was also a lively one. She read Philosophy and Psychology, and vividly describes the outstanding professors and lecturers of her

day, including D’Arcy Thomson and Blyth Webster. She also speaks in fascinating detail of General Smuts, Rector from 1931 to 1934, and the immense idealism at that time – as well as the more colourful balls, dances, singing, and more ‘relaxed’ student activities.

Brother John became a medical student, moving to Dundee as the War began. When she graduated, Betty decided to train at the Rachel Macmillan College, and that background and brief history are interesting in themselves. But her circumstances as a postgraduate student there were rather different from John’s: “The one-year students lived in a house near the College: there was a pub next door and slum areas nearby, and sordid scenes took place on Saturday evenings. Two large rooms in ‘our’ house were divided by ply-board partitions, each into four cubicles.

I think they were about seven feet by four feet. I was really taken aback at the provision: a narrow bed, a chair, a ledge with mirror above, some pegs for clothes, two buckets, and an enamel basin. The downstairs sittingroom had a table large enough for us all to work at and a gas fire. The bathroom was out in the yard and there was a terrifying geyser above the bath. All our meals were to be taken in College”.

Betty married and found work in a Day Nursery in East London, but the War changed many things: they moved away from London to Suffolk, to a pretty cottage in the country.

We share in her response to the great events of that time, which she describes at some length. Churchill and Hitler are powerfully

brought alive. Yet her own comment is, “I feel that the small account I have given of the events of the war are a very inadequate, disproportionate, and biased selection... the reason is we were so taken up with the daily round (often I was working up to bedtime) that I did not follow events in any intelligent way. But there was more to it than being busy. For the first three years it seemed that many people in my position took from the news what helped them to carry on cheerfully, and ignored or forgot about the worst of it. We were not given full reports of the events and so were partly in the dark, and often wondering how much was being held back... At night the air was loud with the drone of engines... The wives would lie in bed, counting the number of planes that left for their assigned target, and then as the dawn came they began the agonising count as the planes returned. Who would be missing? ... were they safe as prisoners or would their families never see them again?”

All in all, this is nostalgia at its best; the sadnesses in life are acknowledged, but are not dwelt on. Of course I resonate especially with this period and its context, but I also consider it a book that may enlighten and cheer every generation. I wish it every success.

11

FEATURES: REVIEWS Monika Dehnert reviews

Heavenly Light, Celestial Bodies & Us – A collection of Poems and Considerations

by Audrey Yeardley Published by Authorhouse @ £7.99 and available at Waterstones Book Store in St Andrews

There are quite a lot of Us who check out their daily horoscopes, but not so many who take such things several steps further. Audrey Yeardley has had a fascination with Astrology since she was very young, after coming across a decorated card full of facts about her zodiac sign.

“It was rather more than that,” she says.

“I was aware of other dimensions that came to me in dreams. At first they were very confusing, but then they settled down into three very different ones, in which I was

a very different person. As I grew older I became certain that I was going to meet three different men in my life, every one of whom was going to bring some radical changes. I did, and they did!”

Heavenly Light, Celestial Bodies & Us is an intriguing, and very personal, response to her experiences, written from the heart, but it also highlights that all of Us are connected in a myriad of strange ways. From this perspective, Audrey sees the World as a “Happening Event,” and a planet on which we are all allowed to make choices. “Every one of Us comes to reap what we have sown, in former lives, so I take reincarnation on board,”

she says, “and what, in coming around, goes around. Every culture has its own mythologies and belief systems, and Astrology looms large in most. Every one of us is a point of view, hopefully adapting and becoming more intelligent as we live and learn. To be absolutely honest, I wouldn’t have changed a thing, even though there have been some very testing times.”

Well worth the reading, this small book would make an excellent gift for yourself, and friends, who like to ask the most important question, “What, on Earth, am I doing here?”

Les Taylor writes about his book

Luftwaffe Over Scotland

by Les Taylor Published by Whittles Publishing, (tel:01593 731 333) ISBN 978-184995-000-8 @ £16.99.

Most people have heard of the Clydebank Blitz during World War Two. But who remembers the Kingdom of Fife Blitz? It sounds improbable, but make no mistake, there was such a thing, and Les Taylor lives in the heart of Scotland’s former wartime ‘Hell-Fire Corner’: “In the course of the research for my book Luftwaffe over Scotland, the most important fact that I wanted to get right was the issue of precisely which locations in Scotland were bombed, and when. Having established these, I also wanted to explain why in some detail as well, because surely there had to be a reason for it all?

The first part of the process, finding out where the bombs actually fell, revealed some surprises. Naturally, Clydebank and Greenock figured heavily in the story, but it was the sheer scale of the smaller ‘hit and run’ attacks up the east coast of Scotland that was most interesting.

Almost nowhere seemed to have escaped a visit from a German bomber and the unwelcome delivery of its payload of high explosives.

Proportionately, the coastal settlements of eastern Scotland – from the border towns of Eyemouth and Coldstream, all the way up through places like Montrose and Peterhead, to that battered northern bastion of Wick – seemed to have received as many hostile visits from the Luftwaffe during the Second World War as any of the bitzed cities of England – including London.

I had to try to make visual as well as written sense of all this and so, having formerly been a draughtsman and illustrator, I set to work on producing maps of the bombed locations for the book, the rule being that each bombed location received a dot on the map to signify that it had been bombed, regardless of how many times it had been bombed.

The results spoke for themselves. Naturally, these dots appeared all the way up the east coast and in a concentrated cluster around Glasgow and the central belt. But there was another interesting cluster on the map – the Kingdom of Fife. Here, more than a dozen separate locations had dots on them, signifying that at some point they had received one or more hostile visits from the bombers of the Luftwaffe. When this became obvious, one question stood out more than any other – why?

These towns were almost exclusively small, harmless places, with no obvious strategic or military significance to the all-out war then taking place between Britain and Germany. Almost all of the attacks took place during 1940 and 1941, when it would have seemed that Nazi Germany would have bigger fish to fry in places like Kiev, Minsk, and Warsaw, rather than wasting enormous effort in attacking innocent places like St Andrews, Cupar, and Elie. There seemed to be no logical purpose to bombing and killing the people who lived here. But that, as it turned out, was indeed the whole point.

12

The enormous battlefield casualties of the Great War had forced military strategists to come up with new, alternative methods of waging and winning future wars. An Italian general named Douhet came up with the theory that bombing enemy civilians from the air might be the answer. His theory argued that by attacking the population of an enemy nation in their homes, the morale of the people would be bound to crack, and that they would revolt and demand that their government surrender to stop the bombing.

It was just a theory, and not a very good one, yet every major European nation signed up to it, and the idea of deliberate ‘terror bombing’ of civilian populations was born. The German Luftwaffe was the first to put the theory into practice, during a period that is now generally known as the Blitz. But despite the name having become synonymous with cities like London, Birmingham, and Coventry, the theory had to be applied evenly and in every corner of an enemy nation to ensure the population got the message.

That’s why, with typical German thoroughness, even small villages like Guardbridge in Fife received a bombing attack. It was this apparently pointless and random nature of the attacks that people could not understand. In the east coast of Scotland, German aircraft would fly in at low level and drop bombs on any target – from a cottage to a coal shed – that looked as if it might cause enough random death and destruction to reinforce the Douhet doctrine. But the Douhet theory, of course, did not work. People suffered and died in air raids, but their morale never collapsed.

In the Kingdom of Fife, the population was just as determined as anybody else not to be cowed by the random death and destruction during their own small version of the Blitz. Simply by keeping their chins up, the bombed Fifers helped to put an end to Hitler.”

(Photo courtesy Les Taylor)

SHOPS & SERVICES Flora Selwyn drove over to Craigrothie and found

A Dream Come True Only 5 months ago, local lads Grant and fours. Mother Kate Hughes, Paul Hughes took over the lease of the better known here as Fife’s Area Kingarroch Inn, and can still hardly believe Services Manager, pops in to their good fortune! Grant and his family have help out when time permits. Four transformed the 120 year-old village Inn into village girls are also involved, and a modern venue within a 1792 building. It is Andy Laing and Darren Trimble beautiful; I saw it in brilliant sunshine, which are front-of-house managers. naturally added to its attraction in its rural “We want to keep the setting.

Inn’s traditional values,“ Grant With an Hons BA in Marketing from explained, ”but carry it on with a Stirling University, and practical experience more modern approach.” All meat working for St Andrews’ well-known ‘House and game are locally sourced.

Restaurant’ group, Grant is not overwhelmed Herbs are grown in the 1-acre by the task he has taken on. Indeed, he garden. St Andrews’ Alan Birrell happily told me that business in his first supplies vegetables. Elmwood students look quarter increased 150%, after the garden as an amazing achievement. their work placement.

We want to keep the Inn’s It is very much a family For the first time in the traditional values, but carry it on run affair. Younger Inn’s history, weather with a more modern approach brother Paul is Head permitting, people will Chef. Grant’s Hungarian be able to eat in the girlfriend, Adrienn, works front-of-house. An garden alongside its pretty burn. aunt was busy vacuuming when I visited, All the food is freshly prepared on the and both grandmothers bake the Inn’s petits premises, including bread and pastries. The

Paul (L) & Grant (R) in the garden menu changes every two weeks, specials change daily, inspired by the seasons. High tea is available on Sundays. Prices are very competitive. Two examples of specials: Confit of Duck Leg with a Sun Blushed Tomato Salad, £5.95; East Neuk Battered Haddock with Hand Cut Chips and Homemade Tartare Sauce, £9.95 The High Tea menu (priced £9.95) has 6 choices of main course. There is also a children’s menu, which includes a drink, a choice of main course (+ chips, beans, salad), and Luvian’s ice cream for £5.95.

Not surprisingly, there is an extensive wine cellar. Grant has recently added to his portfolio, wine qualifications from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). The cellar is supplied by the Enotria Wine Co. Prices range from a bottle of house wine at £13.95, to a Champagne at £100. A 175ml glass starts at £3.75.

Kingarroch Inn lends itself to functions.

The bar/lounge seats 26, the old dining room seats 35, and the more contemporary new dining room seats another 20. If you want to book, however, you have to do so in plenty of time, since the Inn is already very popular.

Kingarroch is open 7 days a week.

Lunch is from 12noon – 3.00pm; dinner from 5.30pm-10.00pm. High Tea on Sunday is from 4.00pm-7.00pm. The bar is open till midnight.

Kingarroch Inn, Craigrothie, Fife, KY15 5QA Tel: 01334 828 237 Web: www.kingarrochinn.co.uk

13

SHOPS & SERVICES Lesley McIntosh is passionate about

Genealogy Research the maintenance of OPRs It’s like a jigsaw – I’ll stop when I find became widespread. It was out where this piece fits – then you find the Session Clerk who was you’ve picked up the next piece. It’s a generally responsible for fascinating hobby and occupation. There them, and certain Session are many reasons why people want to Clerks were more thorough discover their family history. Was history than others – the spelling of a favourite subject in school? Do you like surnames will vary. In early to read historical novels? Are you curious Old Parochial Registers, about your ancestors? Did you always wonder where your red hair, or and even in later Statutory your son’s left-handedness, came from, or which side of the family was Registration, clear records tall, or short? Are you simply interested in finding out just what kind were dependent on the of people your ancestors were? You may have a genuine interest in spelling of the Session preserving the past, either for your children, or grandchildren, or simply Clerk, minister or registrar. for posterity. You may want to record the memories of older people in A certain amount of McIntosh – Marion and Robert circa 1923 your community, or your own recollections. All of these are valid reasons information can be obtained for beginning the wonderful adventure of family history research. from the International Genealogical Index (IGI). An IGI is compiled by There’s so much information available out there, and so many the Mormon Church and they have transcribed most marriages and people who would like to learn about their family’s past – they just don’t births. Their records also provide the names of parents and child, know where to start. And, there are others who simply do not have the assisting in correct identification of the family. Information obtained time. There are so many websites, but which are best? And, of course, through IGIs has been, as best as possible, confirmed with the Scottish once you’ve found your antecedents, how best should the information Records. be recorded?

Census returns are household surveys carried out To me, it’s not just a question of creating a family There are many every ten years from 1841. They provide details, such tree – in fact, that’s a relatively easy process. What is important is to discover more about our ancestors, where reasons why people as name, age, occupation, and birthplace for each person listed at an address on the night of the census. they lived, where they moved to, what they did, what they want to discover Those for 1841 give the least information, the most looked like. recent open to the public being the 1901 schedules.

Statutory registration for births, marriages, and their family history The above are wonderful sources of information, deaths was introduced in Scotland in 1855. Prior to this and provide the basics for a more in-depth history. In a recent family date we depend on the Old Parochial Registers (OPRs) from the various history I have not only included birth, marriage, and death certificates, parishes to source the information. These were the principal sources of but also researched further to include census records, First World War births, baptisms, and marriages before 1855. There were many parishes records, wills and testaments, land purchases, and newspapers articles, in Scotland, almost 1,000, and not all the OPRs have survived, or been background histories on the towns and villages where antecedents lived. transcribed. Prior to the beginning of the eighteenth century, OPRs were I was searching for a soldier of the Cameron Highlanders who had been not regularly maintained, so a great deal of information has been lost, or a prisoner of war in Germany during WWI. After tracking his regimental not recorded. The secession of 1733 prevented many from registering number, I found he was captured on the first day of the battle of Loos. baptisms with the Established Church, and in 1783 an act was passed, I then managed to find the Swiss Red Cross registrations papers from which imposed a tax of three pence for every entry. This deterred many when he arrived at a transit camp. Thereon, I managed to trace the from registering. However, after the early part of the eighteenth century camp where he remained for four years, correspondence to his family, both from the soldier and the army office. I then traced a diary of a soldier in the same regiment written on the day of his capture. A clear picture of the relative emerged along with unknown details of his war history.

I have had so much pleasure in meeting new people; and offering clients options has been a different approach to carrying out family research. Firstly, a client – whether local or a visitor – can give me a call; we fix an appointment and work together in the comfort of my home in St Andrews and search for relatives. It’s much more fun conducting genealogy research together in the comfort of my study with a cup of coffee at hand. At the end of the session, I provide written sheets on the many websites available, with guidance on the best ways to extract the most information.

Many people just don’t have the time to carry out their own family history research; and tracing family history from a great distance can be difficult. I enjoy taking on a little research, or a more in-depth project, and providing a greater sense of the family. It’s a wonderful way to pass a rainy day in St Andrews!

Macdiarmid – Elizabeth Burgess and sons

Total

ecommerce

Total Ecommerce, 7 Borthwick Place, Balmullo, Fife Call: 01334 871101 Email: Info@total-ecommerce.co.uk

14

Lesley McIntosh at rootsandfroots@btinternet.com Tel: 01334 470 008 or Mob: 07770 631020

— No nonsense brochure websites from £250 — Ecommerce websites from £400 — Beat the credit crunch and get your business back on track — No nonsense approach to your online business from Total Ecommerce

SHOPS & SERVICES Alan Sturrock of AJS.Professional Funfair Video Productions

Of Funfairs and Models Fife Council and showmen have been measuring and looking to see what obstacles are in the way for them to set up their rides and stalls for the Lammas Market to roll into our beautiful streets again. With M&D’s subletting ground in South Street last year, we may have a change this year to give us something different.

After fighting the very bad snow in December and January to film the Irn-Bru Carnival at the SECC in Glasgow, and to film a PR DVD for M&D at their Strathclyde Country Park, AJS Professional Funfair Video Productions’ trade stand headed South of the Border in February to Leeds’ Valentine Funfair Model Show. With the main fair held at the Leeds United Football Club, the model show was in the Billy Bremner Suit at the Elland Road Ground. Deadline for the doors to open to the public was 12.30pm to 5.00pm, so it was a major operation to get all the model and trade stands up and working. There was a small contingency of Scottish Showmen there with their rides. All the showmen support these funfair model shows as they promote funfairs in a positive way. Many showmen offer trophies for the best model of the show. AJS was selling its full range of DVDs of the Scottish Fairground scene, and once again St Andrews’ Lammas Market went down well with the English enthusiasts.

Back home in April was the jewel in the crown on the Scottish Showmen’s calendar, as it was the first big fair of the season (in

2004 it celebrated 700 years). Billed as the from England, was John & Michael Holden’s longest street fair in Europe, it holds the only impressive giant wheel made out of Meccano; Funfair Model Show in Scotland in Kirkcaldy it even comes with flashing LED lighting.

Links Market. Many Saturday, 17th April English funfair was the date of this All the showmen support these enthusiasts descend year’s show and on Kirkcaldy for it was open from funfair model shows as they the fair and model to 5.00pm. promote funfairs in a positive way 10.00am show. The KLM Boston in model show is held England on 8th May in the Linktown Church Hall, a stone’s throw was next on the calendar, with models on show away from the fair. Doors are open to the model from 1/18th, 1/24th and 1/50th scale. There was makers and trade stands the night before to a steady stream of people through the doors. allow them to set up. New for this year’s show One lady stopped to look at the Lammas Market DVD and said her daughter is at St Andrews University.

Our mediaeval streets will be transformed into a modern-day funfair shortly with showmen arriving from all over the UK. Graham Sedgwick brought his new ride, Rock Rage, to the Lammas last year, its second Scottish fair, and after the Lammas he headed for Cardiff.

Lets hope he brings it again this year, and that everyone will enjoy all the fun of the fair!

(Photos courtesy Alan Sturrock)

15

SHOPS & SERVICES Mhairi Mackenzie, offers private consultancy work, and also does voluntary work in the local community as a Business Mentor with Chamber of Commerce, and as a Director of St Andrews Partnership, both of which she feels privileged to be involved with. Here she advises –

Get ready to maximise the opportunities ahead If for once, political experts are to be believed, and we are heading out of recession, now is the time for businesses to safeguard their most valuable assets – their staff – by investing in developing and engaging with them. Training now, for the future, will make the difference between a business which keeps staff loyalty, and a motivated work force when the recession is truly over, and one which doesn’t. It is well known that an engaged and motivated work force is far more productive and settled: a trained and valued member of staff is also less likely to leave for greener-seeming pastures elsewhere.

There are many development options.

Mentoring – carried out on a one-to-one basis, giving access to management skills, and also peace of mind, in that all discussions are confidential. Time is used effectively to ask specific questions, discuss goals, and pull together a game plan in the safe knowledge of receiving expertise. The key benefit in this type of one-to-one mentoring is that it empowers people, gives them perspective, and can deliver fast results, as the time together is concentrated purely on personal needs. This service is

16

available to both private individuals and whole businesses.

Coaching – works best with small groups, and is useful for developing individuals in-house.

This can work particularly effectively with staff who have been promoted and who require a different way of communicating. It offers a “tool box of tricks” to assist with managing staff. The group can bring “live” issues to the table to discuss, using role play to make the exercise effective.

Training – no two businesses are the same. It is necessary to meet in order to discuss needs fully, and most importantly, what someone wants to achieve, before a programme can be set up, liaising wholly with the client along the way. This is far preferable to “off the shelf solutions”, which assume that one size fits all, does not offer the best long-term results, and often ends in people simply going through the motions. For maximum impact on investment, training must be relevant and tailored to individual business needs.

As we move out of recession, the time will come when businesses will need to recruit

heavily again. Selecting the right people is imperative. Everyone will be competing for the best talent in the marketplace, and most SMEs simply do not have the expertise to handle this effectively. Line managers may find themselves in the dark, so having an action plan, including competency-based questions to ask that are relevant to the actual job the person will be doing, and the skill and ability to determine whether culturally the candidate will be a good fit for the organisation, will save both time and money.

A few hours of fact finding to establish what is important to your business, and coaching line managers, will be the best investment ever made to steer your business out of recession, make it stronger, more competitive, and wanted as an employer. There are many possible workshops on topics such as, for example, work/life balance; communication / influence; business development etc. etc.

For further information contact: Mhairi Mackenzie, of Mackenzie James Consulting, Mobile: 07788 485 685, email: mhairimackenzie@aol.com

SHOPS & SERVICES Louise Edward, Managing Director, is proud that

James Pirie has won the National Retail Award James Pirie of St Andrews has just been elected the Top Independent China and Glass Retailer in the UK. The Award was announced at a prestigious dinner in the Lancaster Hotel, London attended by leaders of the speciality retailing industry and Louise Edward, Managing Director of James Pirie, was presented with a splendid trophy which now graces the window of James Pirie in Greyfriars Garden, St Andrews.

James Pirie was founded in 1890 and has ever since offered all the leading brands of China and Crystal. It has been very innovative

in recent years with an Internet Website: www.jamespirie.com which has been successful in attracting customers from all over the world. Reflecting changing lifestyles, James Pirie has broadened its offerings to include more casual tableware and personal accessories, including jewellery and handbags. It has also become one of the leading stockists in the UK of classic Collectibles such as Caithness Paperweights, Royal Crown Derby, and Herend.

Louise described the Award as, “A great tribute to the whole team at James Pirie,

and a very proud moment when a historic St Andrews business can win against competition from all over the country”.

Stephen Westwood, President 2010-11 of the

St Andrews Business Club The Business Club is exactly what the title states! It is an association of The Business Club has been in existence for sixty years, and during people engaged in business who want to be involved in furthering the its history it has attracted many prominent speakers from different walks interests of St Andrews. of life, which have included AB Paterson; Sir Menzies Campbell MP; Our strength is the breadth of the membership, who as individuals Andy Irvine; Tom Farmer. are involved in a wide range of business interests, local, national, and in We hold between 8 and 10 events a year, typically held as breakfast some instances global. meetings, with the intent of finishing by 9.15 am, or occasionally in the We see our goal as complementary to the other business early evening, so that we can minimise the time impact on our business associations, and with a broad objective of helping to stimulate interest in activities. business enterprise for the benefit of the local economy, We are always keen to welcome new participants recognising the strengths and advantages of St Andrews and members, who have the same desire to see The Business Club locally and the brand influence of the St Andrews name St Andrews continue to flourish, and who may also has been in existence throughout the world. bring a different perspective on business, the current for sixty years What we offer are opportunities for access to key issues that we face, and the opportunities that are figure speakers and enterprises, which may not be as there to be grasped. It is also an excellent networking readily available through other associations. As examples, recent events opportunity, and we always seek to impart an element of humour and have included a very personal presentation by Sir Peter Burt, an alumnus fun into the proceedings. of the University and a former Governor of the Bank of Scotland at the So, if you wish to become involved, or simply find out more height of the banking crisis; a visit to RAF Leuchars for an appreciation about what we do, please feel free to contact me at: of its role in the defence of the UK; and a unique chance to tour the hello@stephenwestwood.com. I look forward to hearing from you. new Medical Sciences building at the University in the final stages of construction.

Evening Degree Programme Keen to get a degree?

Too busy to study full-time?

Try the flexible route to your MA General degree at the University of St Andrews via the Evening Degree Programme • One or two evenings of classes per week • Modules taken from a broad range of subjects • Credits for many existing qualifications • Financial help (ILA or Fee Waiver) for low income students • Supportive study environment Find out more from: Nicky Haxell The Evening Degree Co-ordinator Telephone: 01334 462203 Email: parttime@st-andrews.ac.uk www.st-andrews.ac.uk/eveningdegree/ The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC013532

17

SHOPS & SERVICES

Yoga Classes Mondays at St Andrews: St Andrews Public Library 12 noon-1pm (Thursdays: Crail Town Hall 9:30-11am) For information contact Nicoletta Biassoni: nbiassoni@btinternet.com/ 01333 451595 Nicoletta is a certified Svaroopa Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist (www.svaroopayoga.org)

The Spon Company For the cook, the chef, and the baker. Gifts all year round. www.thesponco.com Tannochbrae Tearoom, 44 High Street, Auchtermuchty.

Tel: 01337 827 447 George Ferguson Shoe Repairs Luggage, Shoe Repairs and Accessories Steven George Ferguson Traditional Cobbler 151 South Street St Andrews KY16 9UN steven@fergos.plus.com 01334 472134

Minick Minick of of St St Andrews Andrews (the (the Artisan Artisan Butcher) Butcher) Ltd Ltd 183 183 South South Street, Street, St St Andrews Andrews

Your Quality Traditional Butcher

The New Picture House Winner of the RAAM Independent Cinema of the Year Award for Excellence Enjoy a pre-show drink in our lounge or book an exclusive function or children’s party with a private screening

– Local Beef, Lamb, Pork and Poultry – – The BBQ Specialists – – Wholesale and Catering Enquiries Welcome – – Bespoke cutting and packing service – available for local farmers email: minickofstandrews@hotmail.co.uk tel: 01334 472127

Minick of St Andrews Traditionally Modern

18

www.nphcinema.co.uk

117 North Street, St Andrews Tel: 013334 474902

SHOPS & SERVICES David Adie, Adie Hunter Solicitors & Notaries, writes, “This article is intended to give general advice and information and should not be acted upon by any party without taking proper specific legal advice tailored to that individual’s needs”.

Wills and Living Wills

What is the difference between a Will and a Living Will? A Will applies Given the increase in values in houses, on death and disposes of a person’s estate. A Living Will is something particularly in St Andrews and surrounding which is an advance medical directive that regulates a party’s care and areas, it is essential that everyone should treatment to some extent while they are still alive. have an up-to-date Will. Even a simple Will A traditional Will disposes of a person’s estate and determines how is better than no Will and it is more crucial it is to be distributed among beneficiaries. If you do not have a Will you if there are wayward members of the family are said to be intestate. or outlying family members who would One disadvantage of not having a Will is that someone would need benefit and who may claim. to apply to the local Sheriff Court to be appointed your Executor. The Proper Inheritance Tax advice should Executor is the person who winds up the estate, signs the papers and also be taken at the stage of making a Will. Again, one has to have deals with all administrative matters. In effect, the Executor is a Trustee. regard to the increased value of properties in the town to realise that it This is a more expensive and slightly more complicated procedure than is not too difficult to run into the inheritance tax bracket. Inheritance Tax, if the executor is already appointed in the Will. which is currently up to 40% is levied on estates over £325,000.

A second disadvantage is the fact that the law of intestate A surviving spouse can, in fact, use the first deceasing spouse’s nil succession applies if you do not leave a Will and “prior rights” and “legal rate band and therefore with proper advice it is usually possible to avoid rights” will apply. This means that your wife/husband would receive the the tax, or at least mitigate its effects. It is not really known what will dwellinghouse in which they normally reside up to a value of £300,000. happen after the next election and whether Inheritance Tax will become They would also receive furniture and plenishings in the house to the harder to avoid or the tax rates will go up. “There is nothing more value of £24,000 and a cash settlement, depending on whether there certain in life than death and taxes”. were children or not. If there are children it would I would, however, always caution clients to be up to £42,000 and if there were no children up to bear in mind that when they do make their Will, it is £75,000. These are prior rights. The surviving spouse not always tax factors which should be taken into would also be entitled to one third of the net moveable account in determining who benefits. I have seen it is essential that estate if there were children, and one half if there a perfectly efficient tax solution result in complete everyone should have were no children. The latter is called legal rights. Legal family chaos and warfare. Advice from a professional rights have existed in Scotland since time immemorial. advisor and an element of common sense is an up-to-date Will Moveable estate (as opposed to heritable estate) therefore essential. consists of things like cash, shares, ISA’s, Bonds, etc.

Turning finally to the question of a Living Will.

Heritable estate is land and buildings.

A Living Will does not dispose of a person’s estate These figures are very much out of date given current values on death and perhaps in many ways is misnamed as a Will. The Living and in particular, housing values. This means that your wife/husband Will is a request about a person’s wishes concerning future medical may require to sell the house to realise the balance of its value for the treatment and tries to cover the situation when an individual becomes children. unable to communicate these wishes because of physical or mental The figures also do not take into account the tax efficiency aspect incapacity. The Living Will is a direction as to what is to happen in and can result in some unintended results. It is not safe to assume that the event of serious physical illness, permanent disability, advanced on death, everything would go to the husband or wife. The balance dementia, etc. and covers such matters as whether the person consents of the estate after the wife or husband’s prior and legal rights are to being fed orally or whether they should simply be left with pain exhausted (“the free estate”) then gets distributed in accordance with relieving treatment. a list, but primarily the children would benefit first. The spouse is well With the current debate on assisted suicide the question of Living down the list in relation to “free estate”. It is not unknown for a spouse Wills becomes all the more relevant and it is becoming more common to have to sell a house because she had no entitlement to it in terms of for clients to also request a Living Will when making their Testamentary the prior and legal rights.

Will.

FOR OUT OF TOWN LEGAL ADVICE Wills / Inheritance Tax Planning / Executries / Powers of Attorney / Guardianship Conveyancing / Commercial Property / Business Law

We can consult locally

ADIE HUNTER Solicitors and & Notaries 15 Newton Terrace Glasgow Telephone: 0141 248 3828 Fax: 0141 221 2384 email: enquiries@adiehunter.co.uk

19

SHOPS & SERVICES Claire Grainger, Grainger Public Relations, has a

Brighter forecast for the local property market Property – always a hot topic in St Andrews and never more so than during recent times.

Following a downturn in the local property scene, and that across the entire country, local law firm and leading estate agent Murray Donald Drummond Cook is cautiously optimistic that the situation is improving for buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants.

With its roots dating back at least 200 years, the firm, which has offices in St Andrews, Cupar, and Anstruther, is viewed as an ‘institution’ within the town and has, at first-hand, felt the local effects of the economic crash. Partner Douglas Kinnear explained, “We first noticed the market slipping during the first quarter of 2008. Properties were taking much longer to sell, the mortgage supply had reduced and, for the first time in a considerable number of years, prices also dropped in the St Andrews area. Between the calendar years of 2007 and 2008, sales had dropped and,

Donald Drummond Cook. The firm’s Letting likewise, the number of properties coming Department works across North East Fife, but onto the market had fallen significantly as no more so than here in St Andrews. prospective sellers were, quite rightly, wary The firm offers a full management of taking the plunge unless it was absolutely service, from finding tenants to dealing with essential. As a result, our stock levels hit rock the increasingly complex legislative burden bottom. The introduction of Home Reports in affecting landlords. Pleasingly, the green December 2008, and the costs associated with shoots of recovery began to emerge during that, also proved an additional barrier to many.” the second half of 2009 Even the typically buoyant with prices steadying St Andrews town centre With confidence clearly and properties achieving market suffered, with fewer growing, we are seeing our at least valuation. The parents than previously stock levels slowly increasing situation slowed with the buying properties for their onset of winter, traditionally student children. a quieter time of year, but particularly so with Likewise, the firm saw a rise in the the crippling weather conditions, which brought number of people exploring alternatives much of Scotland to a standstill in January. to selling, with many opting to extend their However, as Mr Kinnear explained, there properties to lengthen their home’s lifespan. are now clear signs of improvement in the Alternatively, others decided to rent out local market. He continued, “It would be an their homes to help weather the storm, exaggeration to say that we are completely generating an upsurge in activity for Murray back to where we were before the recession took its grip, but the market is now showing steady signs of improvement. With confidence clearly growing, we are seeing our stock levels slowly increasing and, as summer approaches, we are anticipating further activity over the next few weeks. It’s important to point out that St Andrews itself is a unique part of our broader geographical remit and sets its own trends due to the university community and the number of students and staff requiring short-term accommodation. There is, and always has been, a strong demand for town centre flats, and the competition element is slowly returning to that market. This welcome trend is also starting to apply to the higher end of the market which, due to the recession, had also been significantly quieter.”

In summary, the situation was clearly gloomy, but the local property market, and that across Fife as a whole, is looking towards brighter times and Murray Donald Drummond Cook is cautiously optimistic that it has weathered the storm.

MDDC in Bell Street (by Flora Selwyn)

For more information on buying, selling or letting, please pop into Murray Donald Drummond Cook, 19-21 Bell Street, St Andrews, KY16 9UR or telephone 01334 474 200 (Sales) or 474 455 (Letting).

Modern service. Traditional values

Murray Donald Drummond Cook is a firm of forward thinking Scottish solicitors and estate agents. We provide a high quality service to our clients across a full range of legal issues. Mixing modern technology with traditional principles of client care; our personal, agricultural and business clients know they can rely on us to find the best solution for them in every situation.

PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF LEGAL AND PROPERTY SERVICES

St Andrews 01334 477107 : Anstruther 01333 310481 : Cupar 01334 652331 : mail@mddc.co.uk : www.mddc.co.uk

20

SHOPS & SERVICES Andrew Wright expounds a

VAT Miscellany This article is rather boring, and I expect to lose most readers long before the end of it. However, I am under pressure from my colleagues at work to submit a technical tax article on the basis that it may frighten some of you into consulting with us on this, or other tax topics! There have been a number of important VAT changes introduced from the beginning of January 2010 (apart from the increase in rate from 15% to 17.5%) and this article summarises some of these.

The most fundamental is that for “supplies” of services (as opposed to goods) between businesses operating “cross border”, the VAT is dealt with by the recipient of the service (rather than the supplier). They do this by using the “reverse charge” mechanism whereby both output and input VAT (usually self balancing) are entered in the appropriate boxes on the VAT Return. In addition, details of the sale (date, amount, and supplier’s VAT number) have to be entered by the supplier on quarterly EC Sales Lists (that is, the same system, but different list, as already applies for supplies of goods). So a UK recipient of a cross border business supply will be required to record this on their own VAT Return, with

entries in both the output and input VAT boxes.

Because of the output VAT entry, this could have the effect that the UK recipient’s turnover is pushed over the VAT threshold so that they have to register for VAT where previously they were just below the threshold.

The entries required in the VAT Return are (eg, on a transaction of £10,000 plus VAT of £1750): Box 1. Output VAT £1750 Box 4 Input VAT £1750 Box 5 the entries cancel each other out so there is a “nil” effect on the amount of VAT due.

Boxes 6/7 both a sale and a purchase have to be recorded ie, £10,000 in each box.

Boxes 8/9. no entries required as these boxes relate only to “goods” and not to “services”.

Another significant change is that there has been a simplification of the procedures used to reclaim VAT incurred as business expenses in another EC country. A new electronic cross border refund system has been introduced whereby you now send the claim to a UK VAT office, who are responsible for processing it

within four months and, if approved, repaying it within ten working days.

Finally, from 1st April 2010, you will have to submit your VAT Returns online, and pay any VAT due electronically if your annual turnover exceeds £100,000 or if you have registered after 1st April 2010 (regardless of turnover figure). In practice, we have taken the opportunity to switch to online returns and electronic payments for all clients whose VAT affairs we handle as a firm. There is a worthwhile incentive to do this as you have an extra week (approximately) to pay before incurring late payment penalties.

For further information on this, or other matters, please consult: Henderson Black & Co. 149 Market St., St Andrews.

Tel: 01334 472 255

Invite you to visit a hidden treasure in the heart of St Andrews

WOODLAND & WATERGARDENS HERBACEOUS & SCREE ALPINES & RHODODENDRONS GLORIOUS GLASSHOUSE COLLECTIONS

SENIOR CITIZENS 20% DISCOUNT MONDAY-FRIDAY From main menu only

OPEN DAILY ALL YEAR ROUND

Sunday July 25th OPEN DAY – FREE ENTRY Entertainment for all the family Activities include: Open art competition & sculptured structures Ceramics & Paintings for sale in Gatehouse

Sandra Griffiths & staff

PLANT SALES AREA

Open till end of September TO JOIN THE FRIENDS AND SUPPORT THE GARDEN CONTACT MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY. Canongate, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8RT. Tel: 01334 476452. www.st-andrews-botanic.org Charity No. SC006432

21

SHOPS & SERVICES

Print & Design

We welcome commercial enquiries

The services we offer include: • Colour Digital Printing • Pull-up Exhibition Display Stands • Graphics & Pre-Press • Illustration • Report/Dissertation Printing & Binding • Wide Format Poster Printing • Short run customised folders • Digitising of images (multiple film formats & photographic) • Digital photo repair • High quality fine art printing St Katharine’s West, 16 The Scores St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AX

T: (01334) 463020 E: printanddesign@st-andrews.ac.uk The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC013532

St Andrews & District Community Safety Panel

For more information about your local panel please contact PC Paul Buttercase, Community Safety Officer Tel. 01334 418745 EMail paul.buttercase@fife.pnn.police.uk

Elite Care (Scotland) Ltd. 01334 472834 / 01382 770303

24 hour a day “Care at Home” service throughout Fife, Dundee & Perth.

Licensed by the Care Commission.

Long visits or short visits.

Driver/Carer for appointments & social activities.

Holidaying in St Andrews or Dundee?

– Home from Home Care Website: www.elitecarescotland.co.uk Email: info@elitecarescotland.co.uk

22

SHOPS & SERVICES

Roving Reporter 1. When young, Reporter loved rummaging about in his parents’ boxes of stuff. If you are of the same bent, then Rummage is the place to visit at 138 South Street, St Andrews, (01334 478 625), the delightful confection of Felicity Gilbey and Charlotte de Kee. It all came about because both ladies enjoy collecting things and realised that the minimalist interior was a thing of the past, and people now enjoy creating a look in their home that features both the old and the new. When the South Street shop became available they took the lease and opened in February this year. “People have been incredibly receptive” they told Reporter. Locals, visitors, students looking for that different birthday present, or something to treat themselves with are all warmly welcome. New desirables, such as jewellery, mingle with antiques. There are candlesticks, old typewriters, Glen Miller vinyl records, crockery of all descriptions, wine glasses, linens, embroideries, fur coats, furniture, etc etc.

Prices range from as little as 50p to maybe £500 (which a19th century pine dresser sold for).

One strange item in the shop was a 1950s ‘breast reliever’ (a pump for surplus human milk) bought by a man! Reporter suggests a look at the website for further inspiration: www.rummage.org.uk.

But do drop into the shop.

Charlotte de Kee with willow basket & walking stick

*****

2. What makes a real craftsman? That question was answered for Reporter by Peter Kushner – “someone who builds from the heart, invests in a project with the satisfaction of knowing that people will use the result and enjoy it and hand it down for generations”. Peter works in wood, with the “desire to build something as permanent as possible, something solid, simple and pleasurable that will last generations.” Born on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, Peter honed his skills from an early age with the help of his father and grandfather.

He grew up around boats, building an 8 foot rowing boat at the age of 12. A summer job pushing a broom on a construction site evolved into working for the small company building timber houses. Between studies, there has always been wood. After earning a PhD from St Andrews in German history, woodwork called again and he set up shop in Boarhills where he builds furniture, toys and timber-frame garden houses on commission. He believes passionately in the conservation of forests, using woods sourced as locally as possible: oak from Fife, Invernesshire, and northern France, and larch from Perthshire. “Wood, “ says Peter, “is integral to our lives and is so beautiful, and you have to respect the forest and good practice in forestry.” So, whatever you hanker after, be it new furniture, or a garden retreat, an outstanding feature to treasure and leave to your descendants (or uplift and take to your next house) contact Peter in Boarhills, 01334 880 313 email: peter_kushner@hotmail.com, web: www.peterkushnerwoodworker.com

*****

3.

Now here’s something Reporter says made him sit up! Two enterprising students Jonny Melmoth and Al Couzens, sent him the following: “WHODUNIT? On a cold and blustery November morning in 1441, St Andrews fishermen discovered a body washed up on the shore of East Sands. The corpse was that of William Lawrence, a controversial priest whose outspoken views had made him more enemies than friends. Despite his unpopularity, Lawrence’s murder was the source of great unease amongst the townspeople, who were all too aware of a killer in their midst...But no weapon was ever found, no explanation given, and no-one was ever brought to justice for the crime. To this day, the murder of William Lawrence remains a mystery. Now, over 500 years later, it falls to you to piece together the evidence and discover the secret of St Andrews for yourself....

The story of William Lawrence is, of course, entirely fictional – the brainchild of two St Andrews students keen to avoid Real Work on a cold and blustery November morning in 2009. Six months and a lot of hard work later, The St Andrews Medieval Murder Mystery Tour, Mystery Miles, info@mysterymiles.co.uk is being launched. If you’re looking for a fun, fresh and interactive way to learn more about local heritage and explore St Andrews at your own pace, this self-guided walking tour could be for you.

It’s fun for all the family (nothing too gory, promise!) and is a great way to see a new side to St Andrews for visitors and residents alike. Perfect for Big Kids with a runaway imagination and Little People with a sense of adventure, The St Andrews Medieval Murder Mystery Tour is bringing history to life this summer”. The booklet is available at Waterstone’s @ £5. Go for it, says Reporter enthusiastically!

*****

4. Reporter is so pleased to see a new, privatelyowned business in the town. Vanessa Dury told him the following: “St Andrews’ newest gallery opens this summer.

Openviewgallery is being run by Vanessa and Ollie Dury specialising in original (Photo courtesy Vanessa Dury) art, photography, interiors, and jewellery. In partnership with Getty Images Gallery, London, Openview has access to a vast archive of photography offering the opportunity to buy images as fine prints and use photographic art for interior design.The imagery is sourced from the Hulton Archive, one of the greatest resources of original archive photography in the world. Openviewgallery’s interiors collection includes vintage silk cushions and award-winning designer products.

The Gallery sells ranges of jewellery as well as offering an in-house bespoke design and repair service by jeweller Nick. Working with St Andrews Fine Art, Openview also exhibits contemporary artists and is selling wood marquetry made by golfing legend Tony Jacklin. I am delighted to be opening a business in St Andrews and adding to the wonderful art scene we have here. My parents live locally and I was a student at the University so I have been keen to return to Fife. The Gallery is also showing a photography exhibition at the Byre Theatre to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship.

‘Golf through a lens’ is a selection of original Getty images celebrating the beauty, history, and emotion of golf at St Andrews over the past 150 years.” Wish you every success, says Reporter!

Openviewgallery, 9 Albany Place, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9HH. Tel: 01334 477 840, Email: enquiries@openviewgallery.com, web: www.openviewgallery.com

*****

23

ORGANISATIONS Community Council member Henry Paul plants

Fruit Trees

The St Andrews Orchard Group was formed last August with the aim to establish a Community Orchard like the one in Newburgh. The three founding members were Carol Ashworth, Marysia Denyer, and Henry Paul, and when they formed the group they decided to establish a branch of the Commonwealth Orchard in St Andrews.

The Commonwealth Orchard is inspired by the 2014 Games coming to Scotland, and builds on the successful track record of the Children’s Orchard. The Commonwealth Orchard is being planted across Scotland and beyond, consisting of lots of small plantings, making a greater whole. Their vision is to link children, communities, businesses, and landowners to plant fruit trees across Scotland for our Fruitful Future. Part of the vision is also to support a self-reliant and confident people

who can do this themselves.

It takes spades, dirty hands and good will. There’s been a lot of progress since they launched the Commonwealth Orchard in the East end of Glasgow back at the start of 2009 – and many orchards across Scotland are being planned.

People to plant, to prune, to pick, and to enjoy To attain the dream of the Commonwealth sharing the fruit of the trees. Please help make Orchard – people of all sorts, all ages – a Fruitful Scotland. children, parents, teachers, The first batch of trees developers, fruit eaters, were planted in Stanks Park, The Commonwealth gardeners, councillors, diplomats, behind Macs shop on Lamond Orchard is inspired business people, and volunteers, Drive, and these trees were by the 2014 Games landowners, architects, and donated by Fife Council, Fife coming to Scotland designers, cooks, and bees, Coastal & Countryside Trust, grandparents, and greengrocers, and private donations. The all have a part to play. We value the contribution St Andrews Orchard Group hopes to plant people have made so far, and part of the joy more trees in the Autumn. Details of the of the Commonwealth Orchard has been the group’s activities can be found at: unintended benefits – the friendships, the http://standrewsorchardgroup.blogspot.com/ links between people coming together to plant The group would also be willing to collect together. Not planting their own fruit tree – but fruit, and either sell it at the farmers’ market planting a little bit of a much bigger orchard – for charity; or we could juice the fruit, as the linked to neighbours, linking up so all Scotland Botanic Garden has a press we could borrow. is one big orchard shared by everyone.

We hate seeing fruit going to waste.

The word “Commonwealth” is an interesting one. Its roots are to do with Common Good and For further information please contact Commonweal – an old Scots word to do with Henry Paul, Tel: 07977 131 635 email: the wellbeing of the whole community. It’s a henrythenav@hotmail.com very democratic and self-reliant concept about resilient communities working to improve the (Photos courtesy Henry Paul) lives of their own people. It’s all about people.

Donald Burnett, committee member of the St Andrews United Football Club tells us

“We are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of winning the Scottish Junior Cup” On Friday, 21st of May 2010, players, guests, and officials celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Club winning the Scottish Junior Cup. Former players were piped into the hall at the Langlands Road Social Club to the tune of, “When the Saints go marching in”. After speeches from Chairman David Cunningham, and Provost of Fife, Frances Melville, the surviving players, and representatives of those who had passed away, were presented with a commemorative badge, an engraved glass, and a bottle of wine with a specially produced label. Over 160 people were there

to hail the players who had beaten Greenock Juniors, the Cup Final opponents and favourites.

At the start of the tournament, “Saints” were 500/1 to win the cup, and after some great games in front of some big crowds United finally won at Hampden Park, despite being a goal behind at half time.

Thousands of locals turned out to see the team when they Ricky Patrick Current Captain & returned to the town John Hughes Captain 1960 late on the Saturday night, where they were honoured with a civic reception.

Memorabilia from the Cup-winning season, including photos, programmes, newspaper cuttings, etc, will be on show for the next few weeks at the Preservation Trust Museum at the end of North Street, after which the items will be on show at the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

An anniversary booklet and badge are available to purchase from the Club.

For further information, please contact Donald Burnett, Mobile: 07840 062 875, email: jambodan@hotmail.co.uk

Jock Wilson, Archie Findlay and David Cunningham with the Scottish Junior Cup

24

(Photos courtesy St Andrews Utd FC)

ORGANISATIONS

E

CL

STRO

K

UB

N

FE

H EAST F RT I O

& SPLASH

From Effie Reed, Chair of

North East Fife Stroke & Splash Club – in association with the Chest Heart & Stroke Foundation

In August 1991, John Nicoll suffered a The Club has gone from strength to strength, receiving many massive stroke while on holiday with his donations which allow outings, demonstrations, and guest speakers on family and friends in Cornwall. After four weeks in hospital, he was flown many topics. Members and friends have given invaluable assistance to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, and after another five weeks, John with the running of the Club, including bookkeeping, and providing the went home. Undergoing two years of therapy, John and traditional lunch break: the soup, from day one, is his wife Frances became aware of the general lack of always much looked forward to!

The Club has gone from support or advice for stroke victims.

The Club is now a registered charity, a member strength to strength So John and Frances approached Fife Region of the Edinburgh Chest, Heart, and Stroke Society, Social Work Committee Development Officers. With their bringing the voice of North East Fife stroke victims to assistance and several grants, North East Fife Stroke Club came into national level. It is a lasting tribute to every single member and friend for existence at Martyrs Church Hall, North Street, St Andrews on Tuesday, their support in one way or another. All those stroke and heart victims 23rd August 1994. On that day the only members were John Nicoll and who have found friendship and comfort owe an enormous debt to John Ewan Nicholson.

Nicoll and Frances for their unwavering determination to find the way to Gradually membership increased, and the Club began to serve also help.

Tayport, Anstruther, Glenrothes, and surrounding areas. Various bodies helped with transport, as well as outings. The ‘Splash’ side came as a The Club meets at the Cosmos Centre on Mondays from 10.00am-1.00pm. welcome new activity, with swimming instruction given by Katrina Watson.

Membership costs £10 per year. For lunch with tea/coffee there is a In January 1996 the Club moved to the Cosmos Centre, in Abbey Street, weekly charge of £3. The Cosmos Centre bus can pick up locally. For where carpet bowls were added to the activities. further information, please phone Secretary Isa Clark, 01334 477 731.

Mary Popple is pleased to announce that

The Open embraces Fair Trade It is almost five years since St Andrews became a Fairtrade Town. The St Andrews Fairtrade Town Campaign Group will be celebrating this special birthday later this year with a potluck supper for friends and supporters, on Saturday, 27th November in St Leonard’s Church Hall. See the website for details in the autumn.

The number of shops, cafés, and restaurants in the town providing fairlytraded goods and services continues to grow, and these are listed in a directory available at the Campaign website (www.fairtrade-standrews.org.uk) and in outlets in the town – look for the certificate in shop and café windows.

The latest success in the Campaign is the agreement of The R&A to provide Fairtrade teas, coffees, and refreshments on the Old Course during the 2010 Open Championship.The R&A have agreed to ensure that at every venue on the Course selling refreshments, a fairly-traded alternative is available. The R&A have worked with their catering provider, Sodexo Prestige, to make this happen, and it is the first time that the Championship will be ‘fairly traded’. This means that many thousands of hospitality guests, and upwards of 250,000 spectators, will have the opportunity to help producers in developing countries at the same time as watching marvellous golf and drinking that delicious and muchneeded cup of coffee.

It is fitting that in addition to the Fairtrade Town, and the Fairtrade University, we now have an Open Championship that supports Fairtrade in this, the Home of Golf.

Flora Selwyn is full of praise for one of St Andrews’ less obvious visitor attractions,

The Bell Pettigrew Museum Situated in the Bute Medical Building at the far end of St Mary’s Quad, off South Street, this Natural History Museum cries out to be visited. It is packed full of fascinating historical collections with a national and international reputation. It is not only scholars who benefit from visiting, but families wishing to help their children with schoolwork, or simply to acquire general knowledge.

The world-famous Dura Den fossil fish are there. In case 3 reposes Venus’ Flower Basket, a species of glass sponge. Case 35 houses a Quetzal, a specimen from a collection of birds once belonging to Alfred Russell Wallace.

Originally set up in 1838 as the museum of the Literary and Philosophical Society of St Andrews, the collections were acquired by the University in 1904. Today there are over 3000 specimens on display. St Andrews is indeed fortunate in having a museum like this, which any larger town would die for.

The Bell Pettigrew is up to date in every way. The collections are easy to view, well labelled, and the staff are always friendly and accessible. There’s so much to see and marvel over – a wonderful asset for the town.

25

TOWN & GOWN Dr Martin Milner, Hon Curator, Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History, looks at the life of

D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson – a famous St Andrean This year we celebrate the life of a remarkable man. D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson was born in 1860, appointed Professor of Biology in Dundee in 1884, moving to the chair of Natural History at St Andrews in 1917, the year his most important book, On Growth and Form, was published. Here he worked, taught, and walked the streets (sometimes with a parrot on his shoulder) until he died in 1948.

D’Arcy was a polymath of a sort that one simply never encounters today. Equally qualified to occupy chairs in Zoology, Mathematics, and Classics, his writings encompassed all these fields, as exemplified by his Glossary of Greek Birds (1895) and Glossary of Greek Fishes (1947). However, the work for which he is best remembered and honoured is Growth and Form, first published in 1917, with a second edition in 1942, and an abridged edition edited by John Tyler Bonner in 1961. It has been translated into many languages and is still in print. In this elegantly-written book, he advanced his main thesis: that biological form can reflect physical and mathematical principles. One demonstration of his ideas lies in the morphology of shells and horns.

These are the permanent, non-living, three-dimensional record of a temporary, two-dimensional living state – the base of the horn, or the mantle of the shellfish. D’Arcy Thompson showed that all horn and shell morphologies could be described in simple mathematical terms readily derived from the incremental nature of growth. hailed by the Professor, who showed him round the exhibits and on Perhaps the most famous images from On Growth and Form are parting gave him a jar of stick insects, with instructions to feed them on the transformations. D’Arcy showed that gross variation in form between fresh privet leaves. related species could be modeled by the consistent deformation of a The winter before he died D’Arcy was teaching the history of Natural sheet, and that if the sheet were stretched in one particular pattern, then History to a group of students at his home. One day as he read aloud he a new species form would be generated. His work still has relevance seemed to be hesitating, and one of the girls, fearing that he was less for mathematical biology, evolutionary biology, well, said, “Are you tired Professor, should we go developmental biology, and for the interface between now?” D’Arcy replied, “My dear child, I am not tired.

D’Arcy was a polymath science and the arts. He focused on the boundaries happen to be reading you a piece of medieval of a sort that one simply IItalian, between disciplines in a remarkably modern manner. and I find the translation a little difficult”.

He was a great character, whose memory was Truly, he was a remarkable man. never encounters today cherished by students and townsfolk alike. He loved The Universities of St Andrews and Dundee wine, women, and song – “I must dance just once more before I die”, both claim and honour D’Arcy as one of the most influential scholars was a favourite saying of his. An honours student was once summoned of the 20th century, and year-long celebrations are underway on both over poor work. She had been to a party the night before, and was sides of the Tay to celebrate his 150th birthday. In St Andrews there surprised to be greeted with, “was it a good dance?” She replied that will be a half day conference in which D’Arcy’s continuing relevance it was. Then, “is it to biology, mathematics, classics, and art will be discussed, followed a good floor?” and by a buffet supper in D’Arcy’s Museum, the Bell Pettigrew Museum of lastly, “got a boy of Natural History. D’Arcy’s successor but one, Professor Peter Slater, your own?” He loved will give an appreciation of D’Arcy the man. This event will start at children and always 2.00pm on Friday, 3rd September in Lecture Theatre C, Bute Buildings, had time for them.

University of St Andrews. There is no charge and all are welcome. The A correspondent Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History will be open in July, August, recalled visiting and the first half of September on Tuesdays and Fridays, 2.00-5.00pm. the Bell Pettigrew Please visit our D’Arcy website, which has full details of all events at: Museum of Natural http://www.darcythompson.org/ History (which D’Arcy (Images courtesy of ran) in 1932 when University of St Andrews Library a boy of 8. He was Special Collections)

26

TOWN & GOWN Kate Icely and Frank Quinault tell us about

Tea at the Palace Eight Canadian students on a year’s exchange with the University of St Andrews had tea with HRH the Duke of York at Buckingham Palace on 13th May. The Duke is Patron of the Canadian Robert T. Jones Jr Scholarship Foundation, which was established in 1991 to support the student exchanges between two universities in Ontario – Queen’s and Western – and St Andrews.

Scots were prominent in the founding of Queen’s, which is situated in Kingston, Ontario, and it has exchanged students with St Andrews for very many years. The link with the University of Western Ontario, although more recent, is itself nearly 30 years old and was begun by Professor Bill McClelland, formerly Professor of Psychology at Western, who is of Scots ancestry. Each year 5 students from Western and 3 from Queen’s are selected to study at St Andrews while 8 St Andrews students are chosen to go to Canada.

The Foundation was created to provide each of them with a generous scholarship, so that no-one would be debarred from applying through lack of funds and to help the successful candidates to gain as much as possible from their year. Its founding chairman is Mr Roger Thompson, a graduate of Western who knows St Andrews well through his membership of the R&A and is a lifelong admirer of Bobby Jones. Aware that the great golfer’s links with St Andrews had been commemorated through an annual student exchange between Emory University, in Atlanta, and St Andrews, Mr Thompson decided to create something similar for Canadians. The Duke of York has had

close connections with Canada ever since he spent time there at school, at Lakefield Academy near Toronto, and he graciously agreed to become the Patron The Canadian Jones Scholars, with Mr and Mrs Thompson, in of the Foundation. Almost 300 front of the Canada Gate, Green Park, just before they went students have now benefited from into Buckingham Palace. (Photo courtesy Frank Quinault) its scholarships.

The current group of embossed with the royal crest. A chocolate cake Canadian Bobby Jones Scholars travelled to was carefully cut and passed down the table, London, with Dr Frank Quinault, where they along with tiny finger sandwiches and miniscule met Roger Thompson and his wife, Ana, and scones. The Duke began his conversation spent time visiting the British Library and the with the students with a topic with which British Museum among other places of interest. everyone was sure to be familiar: Facebook.

Their arrival at the Palace coincided with the As it went on he continued to engage them departure of the motorcade transporting David by asking them questions about where they Cameron, Nick Clegg and other members of were from, what they were studying and what the new Government, who had just taken their books they were reading. He did not allow the oaths of office. The constitutional niceties of the discussion to become perfunctory, however, as previous 48 hours was one of the topics that he often challenged the scholars’ answers with His Royal Highness explored with the students provocative rebuttals. When the visit was over, during a wide-ranging conversation that lasted the Duke stood and shook all the students’ for well over an hour. hands for the second time. He lingered briefly The room in which the meeting took place by the large double doors and then suddenly is ornately decorated, with chinoiseries that was gone, with Mr and Mrs Guest hurrying came originally from the Royal Pavilion in quickly out after him. The students, slightly Brighton, and looks out directly onto The Mall. shocked and all smiles, were led back down Having been escorted there by the Duke’s to the reception room where they were able private secretary, the visitors waited, with some to recover from the experience before being trepidation, for the Duke’s arrival. He swept in plunged back into a bright and busy London. suddenly, followed by his former headmaster Tea at the Palace had been – more than at Lakefield, Mr Terry Guest, and Mrs Guest. anything else – a great deal of fun. The Duke The Duke introduced himself to the students was both interesting and engaging and all with a firm handshake before the party was the students left with a sense of delight and invited to sit at the long, meticulously laid table. accomplishment.

All were served Earl Grey tea in porcelain cups

Holly West, Students’ Association Community Relations Officer on matters of

Town / Gown

Hi! I’m Holly West and I’m a third year student studying Geography. For the Students’ Association from time to time”, and to read the comment, the past year I’ve been the Students’ Association Community Relations “I like students, especially ones who say good morning!” There were Officer. This has been a really interesting and enjoyable experience. common areas of concern mentioned in several postcards: night-time I believe that the town-gown relationship is fairly positive, with many noise, bicycle safety, private accommodation maintenance, and bin students definitely feeling part of the town, and I think that problems that collection. This enabled us to highlight these as important issues and to do come up can be solved with greater dialogue between both sides. work out a plan of action.

I work with the rest of the Community Relations committee to aim to In the autumn, when students return, we intend to run a noisehelp improve the town-gown relationship through representation and reduction poster campaign to encourage people to be quieter when joint events. As well as specific town-gown events run by Community returning after a night out. We are also running a full-scale bike safety Relations, such as the local food fayre, “Taste of St Andrews” (I’d like to campaign – this will involve posters on bike safety; free reflective strips; thank, Flip, Maisha, Le Rendez-vous, and Harbour House (now Bibi’s discounted lights available from BESS, the Union shop, run in conjunction Café) for taking part in the February one), there are with the police. This campaign will hopefully extend many other initiatives, from STAR, the student radio’s beyond students as it is not entirely just a student I believe that the town-gown involvement in the Festive lights, to the Debating problem. To improve private accommodation relationship is fairly positive Society’s with schools. We are also hoping this year maintenance issues we will use the ‘How to Rent’ to get greater town participation in next February’s guide already produced by the Students’ Association “Raising and Giving” (RAG) week run by the Charities Campaign, who last for students moving into private accommodation. We will include advice year raised over £50,000 for local, national, and international charities. on bin collection and “how to be thoughtful neighbours.” Maintenance The Students’ Association Community Relations Committee want of the exterior of the property is the landlord’s responsibility, but we will to improve problem areas, but often it’s difficult to know exactly which also urge students to check that their landlord is doing this. I would also issues we should be focusing on. We also want to get a wider picture encourage everyone to greet their neighbours – something as simple as and invite opinions from people who might not otherwise be the most saying ‘hello’ can go a long way. vocal commentators. With this aim in mind, we sent out 6,800 postcards Some postcard respondents also mentioned a wish to have more asking for advice, comments, and ideas on improving the town-gown student events open to the public. There are over 130 student societies relationship. In the March edition of St Andrews In Focus there was a covering a wide range of interests, so there is great potential. Many do black postcard tucked into your magazine. The idea was that people could already hold events open to the public and we are pushing for more to reply with their thoughts on the back of the postcard and then return them do so. There are also plays on every week of the academic year that are to us at the Students’ Association. If you still have a postcard, but haven’t open to all. Currently the problem may be that advertising and information yet replied, you can still hand it in to the Students’ Association. Also, is often primarily aimed at a student audience. We’re going to try to please feel free to email: community.relations@st-andrews.ac.uk with improve this and put advertising in different places round town, so look comments or questions at any time. out for it in the autumn!

A fair number of postcards were returned and we also got some replies by email. We enjoyed reading the responses and were pleased to If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me on; learn, “As a St Andrews resident, it feels good to be consulted directly by Community.relations@st-andrews.ac.uk

27

TOWN & GOWN Brandon James de Vingada Soeiro, President Emeritus of the International Politics Association, recipient of The Principal’s Medal in honour of his service to the University of St Andrews and a future Trainee Solicitor with Allen & Overy

A Year in Review – The Events of the International Politics Association Although the end of all academic years too many, and our planet faces challenges of have always brought with them joy, sadness truly international consequence. Our mission and sorrow, the spring of 2010 will leave a is simple: we aspire to replace acrimony with particular lasting mark on me. After four years debate and platitudes with substance. It is of reading International Relations, like many only when we can engage with issues, even of my fellow graduating students, I will be those often dismissed as too complex, that we making the leap from our uniquely beautiful can begin to understand not only the actors seaside town into the often-cold embrace of involved, but the consequences of either action the City. (Worry not, I am not in fact becoming or inaction. I consider myself truly blessed an investment banker – just another corporate that throughout much of my life, I have been lawyer!) witness to compelling arguments by brilliant Reflecting back on our time at St Andrews minds on the pressing questions of our age. has become very much a daily ritual for Through such experiences, we gain not only everyone leaving, but it is the topic of the recognition for where others stand, but also student-run society that I lead that will likely where our prejudices, opinions, and thoughts leave the deepest memories, the greatest gather before being transformed into personal celebrations and the saddest principles. The great sorrows. In my time at the debates of our time are only Our mission is simple: helm of the International worthy of that accolade if we aspire to replace Politics Association, one ordinary people can engage acrimony with debate and of the United Kingdom’s in extraordinary events, leading student-run political debates and discussion. platitudes with substance discussion forums, we have During my time, had the honour of welcoming world leaders however, with the IPA I have noticed a from ambassadors to Wall Street titans, and sometimes-disturbing trend to ignore debate from clandestine spies to Law Lords, not to before it is even ignited. To what end can mention the occasional Fox News host and our mission be achieved, if we are unwilling founder of Zimbabwe’s opposition movement. to discuss those issues of controversy and From the corridors of power and influence heated passions that are so fundamental to that our guests depart, they are continually the nature of the international system and welcomed – as they have been since 1978 – public discourse? In our recent events with the into the warm embrace of our truly beautiful Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama community and the engaged students, and His Excellency the Ambassador of Israel to academics, and local residents that populate it. the Court of St James, our events were marked In our age of email, Facebook, YouTube, with those attempting to use their free speech and 24-hour news, what role does a society to limit that of another. Although we all hold like the IPA play? The question is particularly political beliefs of one sort or another, there important as the winds of political change must remain a place in society for earnest and have blown on both sides of the Atlantic, a civilised discussion of earnestly challenging financial crisis continues to wreak misery on far matters. As I was quoted in The Times after

the visit of the Israeli Ambassador, “The point of our Society is to provide a platform for all speakers and provide insight to all the most pressing geopolitical questions of the day. If we are not willing to engage in reasoned debate with reasonable people in a reasoned forum, then there can really be no hope for peace.” If we aspire to transformational change of one type or another, we must be willing to put aside our partisan political blinders and address the increasingly international challenges that we face. Global action requires a commitment to understanding the issues that affect our planet.

I pray that all disputes can be remedied, but gain inspiration from the hope that at least all debates can in fact be debated.

It is to this end, that the IPA will continue to aspire to play its role in furthering the public discourse on and about the streets, pubs, and lecture halls of St Andrews. We will continue to host the influential and play our role in welcoming the world to our town. Such an aim can only be achieved with the support of all our members, whom we are continually honoured to represent, and the dedication of the members of my Committee. To those members graduating, my best to you all; to those interested in membership, we would be honoured to welcome you; and to next year’s brilliant Committee members, I recite my school’s motto: Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat (“Let whoever earns the palm bear it.”)

Maybe societies like ours are going out of fashion in the increasingly politicised world in which we live, but hope after all springs eternal.

If you are interested in learning more about the IPA, please visit our website: www.standrewsipa.co.uk

Flora Selwyn was privileged to attend the third Conference organised by the students of the St Andrews Economic Forum 2010, which was held between 23 – 25 April

Developing Africa: a lost cause or a rising star?

St Andrews Economic Forum (saef) writes in its mission statement, that it “promotes an intergenerational dialogue between today’s experts and future leaders; hoping that one generation may teach and engage with the next one. The emphasis is on fostering critical awareness amongst students from leading European universities, enabling leaders of tomorrow to better address issues crucial to our future.” This year’s Conference topic was thus admirably suited.

In her welcome at the opening reception in the Golf Hotel on 23rd April, University Principal Dr Louise Richardson said how proud she was to support the “energy and initiative” of the students and their achievement.

Next day saw a packed Parliament Hall and a very full programme, beginning with the theme of ‘China – the new scramble for Africa?’, followed by ‘Foreign Aid – how to make it work?’ and finally on Sunday morning, ‘Microfinance in Africa – chances, limitations and controversies.’

28

President Samir Færevik Aarab at the opening ceremony Professor Ian Taylor of the School of International Relations in the University of St Andrews, also Professor Extraordinary in Political Science at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Joint Professor in the Centre for European Studies at Renmin University of China, opened proceedings. He painted a picture of Chinese incompetence in Africa, where competitive Chinese oil companies are bent on profits to the detriment of their own country, Chinese provinces have differing agendas: in short, a picture of “fragmented authoritarianism.” This contrasts with the commonly-held, but simplistic, Western view of China as a monolithic structure manipulated by Beijing.

China as a whole is blamed for mismanagement among its companies, with the result that its reputation suffers.

Professor Deborah Brautigam, from the American University in Washington DC spoke of her book, The Dragon’s Gift, which claims to relate the real story of China in Africa. China had a commercial deal with

TOWN & GOWN Japan whereby technology and expertise were exchanged for oil, and this provided the template policy for Africa. Unlike America, China has no wish to influence internal African policy, not out of altruism, but solely for commerce. Infrastructure forms the basis for development, “if you want to be rich you build roads.” Also, having been at the receiving end of both aid and loans, China is anxious to avoid their inherent problems.

Politics cannot be separated from commerce; it is in the interest of commerce to have political stability, so public/private partnerships are valuable.

At 1.00pm a short video conference was set up with Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs in America, Director of the Earth Institute and Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, also Professor of Health Policy & Management at Columbia University. Professor Sachs is also Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. “What’s at stake is deadly serious” he began, pointing out that some 9 million children die in poverty each year. Aid is not a handout, but an investment, a mutual responsibility. Eradication of malaria is a good example. The Millenium Villages Project raises productivity, allowing people to stand on their own on education, agriculture, business, health, and environment issues.

This is targeted development aid which has seen a 40-50% fall in infant mortality. “I want to see deliverables, I want audits” the Professor said.

However, aid without a reduction in population, is problematic, as is environmental sustainability. Population reduction has to be part of development goals, “politically very difficult issues.”

Colin Cameron, Hon Consul to Malawi, spoke next. A solicitor, Mr Cameron was an active ANC member before Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, and became a member of parliament in Malawi. Having resigned when detention without trial was introduced, and been deported because of his opposition, Mr Cameron was invited back into the country in 1994. The principles of aid must be to involve local people at all levels. Materials should be local if possible, and local expertise must prevail. Paternalism is unwelcome, “Lords of poverty” imposing solutions on the people. Full transparency of accounting is essential. The Scottish/ Malawi partnership is a blueprint of equals.

Mr Stephen Jones, Principal Consultant at Oxford Policy Management spoke about Zambia, which is aid dependant, and whose elites are powerful. “The Zambian government has not led or crowned the process (of aid).” What are the incentives, Mr Jones asked, for government to lead? There is a need for audit procurement, and budgetary systems etc.

Professor Terry McKinley, Director of the Centre for Development Policy & Research of the School of Oriental & African Studies in London addressed the economic obstacles to aid effectiveness. Ramping up aid “set off alarm bells among policy circles”, for example in the IMF, because of fear of inflation, the appreciation of the exchange rate, cheaper imports, and more expensive exports. When governments can’t spend dollars, they go to the banks for their own currency to pay for all their health workers, for example, but that impinges on exports, as local currency was going down in value. Most Overseas Development Aid (ODA) was not being spent. Where was it going? 36% of ODA left the economy unused, only 27% was used for domestic purposes, and 35% became capital outflow. Domestic investment, which should have been the priority received only 24%. All developing countries held $5.5 trillion in reserves in 2009, which should have gone into domestic investment.

The result has been a reverse flow of capital from developing to rich countries. Poor countries borrow from the US at high interest rates, then lend their reserves back to the US at very low rates. Eventually there may be more cooperation between China, Brazil, India.

Dr Alan H. Gelb, former Director of Development Policy at the World Bank, wondered if Africa is at a turning point? Promising signs of economic recovery in 2006 came to nothing. Foreign aid has not been a cause of progress. The end of the Cold War had an impact, but changes in aid and political will are needed. Improvements might come from tracking public expenditure and having an impact evaluation system to provide indications. Uganda has improved management in schools and health. In Tanzania, mobiles are used to report water malfunction, small governance in action. Accountability, research and development all help, but failure of the rains affects agriculture.Trade with the rest of the world is very important, but there needs to be access and liberal rules of origin.

Neil Mitchison, Head of the EU Commission for Scotland, said an annual action plan is needed, and that aid is one area in which the Commission has a mandate. There are over 100 international agencies in Europe. Why is Africa a perpetual problem? He suggested that, unlike Asia, Africa had no need to defend borders, essential for nation building.

Also Africa has a drainage of human capital. The Paris Declaration of 2005 pledged to increase efforts to manage aid with mutual accountability.

On Sunday there were opposing views on microfinance. Dr Beatriz Armendariz, Lecturer in Economics at Harvard University and at University College London, asked why Africa lagged behind Latin America? Africa is a late starter in applying microfinance (1990s) and is more sparsely populated. But can microfinance replace informal financial mechanisms where group lending is a substitute for collateral? Latin America enjoys 95% repayment rates, leading to larger later loans. There is group pressure to repay loans. Carpets, flowers etc provide women with collateral; men have car keys etc! Ethical fragmentation, civil wars, limited scope for expertise diffusion, all lead to stalled progress. 80% of the African population live in rural locations and social norms (eg lavish funerals) reliance on the extended family, moneylenders, village economics, lack of access to banks, add to the problems. Nevertheless, Dr Armendariz is optimistic, citing successes in Cameroon (cassava production) , Nigeria (Country Women’s Association of Nigeria), Ethiopia (African Village Academy), Chad, Kenya etc.

Dr Milford Bateman, Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Juraj Dobrila Pula, Croatia, is adamant that microfinance doesn’t work at all, claiming that it undermines development and poverty reduction, progress and policies. In the 1980s, market fundamentalism, the IMF, the World Bank etc all bought into the idea of self-sustainability; the poor must escape from their own poverty. When changed, the original Grameen Bank model “was consigned to the history books”. By the early 2000s it was obvious that poverty was not reduced despite the billions donated. Vietnam in the ’90s started out like Bangladesh, but saw that microfinance institutionalised poverty through fraudulent valuations that rationalised political support and donors. Client failure is high, economy of scale is ignored. Africa is trapped in a bazaar economy.

Microfinance prevents spending, destroys social capital/solidarity within the community. The poor are now in debt, as in much-vaunted Jobra in Bangladesh. Muhammad Yunus was the first microfinance experimenter, and the most microfinanced failure.

Lively questions and answers characterised the ends of each session. Summing up finally, Mr Jones said there is cause for optimism today, as there is “a lot of space for Africa to take on its own destiny.”

There is, however, a need to understand precisely what is going on in what are now largely open and democratic countries.

Saef is to be congratulated once again for its organisational skills in mounting this very successful Conference.

Monteaths

Accountants & Tax Consultants APPOINTMENTS: MORNING, AFTERNOON or EVENING, OUR OFFICE, YOUR HOME or PREMISES QUALIFIED CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY STAFF OVER 30 YEARS TAXATION EXPERIENCE We prepare annual accounts for multi –million £ turnover businesses. Vat Returns: Flat rate schemes, partial exemption, fixed monthly vat payments. PAYE: Weekly & monthly. We set-up new businesses, Ltd’s and partnerships. Cashflow projections, letting income calculations, dividend reports, Capital gains tax calculations. We prepare Tax Returns, advise on tax liabilities and offer tax advice.

WE HELP – WE SAVE YOU MONEY

14 School Road, Balmullo, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 0BD Tel: 01334 870343 Fax: 01334 871004E mail: morag@monteaths.com Web: monteaths.com

29

EVENTS David Mann introduces the

Crail Festival Society Crail Festival Society are looking forward to another successful year of events at our annual Crail Festival from 20th to 31st July 2010.

The theme of this year’s Festival opening night is based on the 700th anniversary of the granting of a Royal Charter to the Burgh by Robert the Bruce in 1310, to hold a market on Sundays in Marketgate. While this was not the first Royal Burgh charter to be granted to Crail, the charter was later ratified by Mary Queen of Scots in 1585. This event will be a very colourful affair, with a strong air of pageant about it. The venue is historic Marketgate, and the event will feature stalls, children’s games, a food court, and music from Albannach, ByreRythm Taiko Drummers, and Crail’s own Strolling Players.

While our whole programme details appear on our website, www.crailfestival.co.uk here are some pointers that should be highlighted: A full programme of events to suit young and old will include concerts by Flossie Malavialle (singing Piaf and Brel), Heartbeat, with their “Story of the Sixties”, Crail Festival Orchestra, a series of lunchtime classical concerts, “Stories from a Country House“ at Cambo House by Red Wine Productions, “Romeo and Juliet” performed by Illyria in the grounds of Wormistoune House, a Jazz Lunch, and a Family Ceilidh. The adult programme includes a series of lunchtime concerts and culminates in a concert by internationally-renowned artiste, Eddi Reader.

Children’s events include pottery, puppet and drama workshops, story telling, sandcastle competition, and rock pool guddle. Family events include a quiz, treasure hunt, and ghost walk.

(Photos courtesy Crail Festival)

Tickets for all Festival events are available at: www.crailfestival.co.uk or by Telephone: 01333 450 108.

From Meredith Alison Arnold

St Salvator’s Chapel a Pilgrimage of Hope and Promise Coming to the University of St Andrews from New Orleans, Louisiana, was like entering an entirely different world. The tragic devastation from Hurricane Katrina and the corruption that followed left a legacy of violence and a city struggling to survive. It was a profound and unique learning experience that left me with a deep sadness and little hope for the Southern city I love, until I arrived at the University and discovered St Salvator’s Chapel. For me, this Late Gothic Chapel represents more than just a place of worship. The Chapel, battle worn from centuries of adversity, holds an enduring beauty and remarkable strength. It is the living testament to humanity’s ability to face tragedy and turn it into triumph. St Salvator’s is a paradigm of what is possible for a community facing misfortune. The Chapel gives me hope that New Orleans, like St Andrews, will find the same celebrated path to renewal.

For me, the exterior of St Salvator’s Chapel is captivating, but the real inspiration is found inside. The magnificent organ, exquisite stained glass windows, and impressive acoustics honour the past and give hope for the future. As a harpist, I find that playing music in this precious space extends a message of faith to all people and communities facing today’s challenges. Playing the harp in St Salvator’s Chapel is more than a privilege; it is a pilgrimage of hope and promise.

Throughout the summer visitors to St Salvator’s Quad may be pleasantly surprised to hear classical harp music drifting through the majestic stained glass windows of the Chapel. Selected dates, June thru’ August, University of St Andrews postgraduate student, Meredith Alison Arnold will perform works ranging from Puccini to Debussy.

The informal series is free and open to the public. Check: www.meredithalistonarnold.com for more information.

(Photo courtesy Meredith Alison Arnold)

30

EVENTS Louise Fraser commends a

Unique Exhibition Of Golf Art To Take Place In St Andrews Harold Riley is a unique artist. Born in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1934, he has lived and worked all his life in the city of his birth.

During his career, his reputation as one of the world’s great portrait painters (he has painted Nelson Mandela, Sir Matt Busby, Jack Nicklaus, and Sir Alex Ferguson) hid the fact that there is a great deal more to his work. As a young man he played in the junior teams at Manchester United, retaining a love of the game, which spread into his art.

A chance visit to St Andrews in 1946, and golf with its great tournaments, became a significant part of his life. Travelling throughout the world, he has amassed work relating to the sport that is unparalleled. Most of this has never been seen, and is kept in an archive at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester.

Harold has parted with very little of his work during his lifetime, living instead off the income from his portraits and commissions. His intention has always been to leave the main body of his work in the city where he was born. In order to facilitate this and protect his work, a Charitable Educational Foundation was created which will benefit from the sales of his golfing works.

“Following the Open” is a collection of over 80 pieces, which will be exhibited at Fraser Gallery St Andrews during the 150th Open Championship. The works are studies in various media such as watercolour, gouache, pencil and ink; a number of illustrated letters; monographs; and works of mixed media, portraying elements of the Open Championships at St Andrews.

Harold has been to every Open since 1946, and these pictures are a priceless collection of his various statements as an artist about this event in such a special place.

It would be true to say that Harold Riley is considered the most important painter seriously involving himself in the golf scene – he has been the official Dunhill Cup artist for more than 14 years.

“Following the Open”, his solo exhibition, will run at the Fraser Gallery from 11 – 18 July 2010, supported by Alfred Dunhill.

31

EVENTS David Orr, Marketing & Sales Manager at the Byre Theatre, talks about

Summer at the Byre There isn’t just going to be drama at The Open this summer in St Andrews, as the Byre Theatre unveils its summer programme for all the family to enjoy!

The ‘Inside Out Street Festival & Outdoor Performing Arts Festival’ returns to the streets of St Andrews for a third year this summer on Friday 30th & Saturday 31st July after opening the Festival in Leven on Thursday 29th July. With over 17,000 visitors in 2009 this year’s festival promises to be bigger and better featuring, visual acrobatics, spectacular theatre, dance and live music.

The event in Leven takes place along the seafront; in St Andrews the festival returns to the town centre with events throughout the day and well into the evening, including a

street ceilidh! Visit www.insideoutfestival.co.uk for more details.

We welcome back Pilot Theatre, with York Theatre Royal, in association with the Byre Theatre to present to you the classic family tale, ‘Hansel & Gretel’. From 28th July – 14th August at 2.30pm & 7.00pm, Tuesday – Saturday. This summer you are going to find out what happened when a boy called Hansel and a girl called Gretel didn’t listen to their mum and dad! Suitable for all the family, this visual feast entertains adults and children alike.

‘Little Light’ is back! The show described as “a golden chance for some quality time in Totland” returns to the Byre Theatre for our youngest audience members to enjoy. Come and explore the world of ‘Little Light’ in this

highly interactive and visual performance, which has been specially created for children 0-4 and their parents or carers. Tuesday 3rd – Saturday 21st August. 10.30am; 12 noon; 2.15pm, Tuesday – Saturday.

And to round the season off, Alan Bissett brings his one woman show, ‘Times When I Bite: The Moira Monologues’ to the Byre from Tuesday 24th – Saturday 28th August, 2.00pm & 8.00pm (except Friday 27th 1.00pm only). A series of short stories from Falkirk’s hardest woman, Moira Bell. Whether defending her ‘snookelums pookelums’ from the local Rottweiler, attempting to seduce a teacher in the school where she works as a cleaner, or belting out Diana Ross for the Scotia Karaoke night, Moira is hilarious and heartwarming company. A thoroughly entertaining performance from one of Scotland’s most exciting young writers.

For the full summer programme visit www.byretheatre.com or pick up a brochure.

Tickets can be bought online, or at 01334 475 000. Don’t miss out on all the drama at the Byre this summer!

New Work by Jennifer Thomson and Anne Dunlop, at The Gallery at The Filling Station, The Pittenweem Arts Festival, 7-15 August 2010

From Seaside Villages to Big Cities Following a break of 10 years, Jennifer Thomson is back exhibiting at The Pittenweem Arts Festival this year. Exhibiting alongside Jennifer is Anne Dunlop.

Anne has been an active member of The St Andrews Art Club for many years and has exhibited previously, with Jennifer and with members of The St Andrews Art Club, in The Earlsferry Town Hall, Elie.

Jennifer, is a former art teacher at Madras College and graduate of Edinburgh College of Art. She began her painting career ten years ago, when she left Madras, and following the birth of her first child, Cameron, in the nearby seaside village of Elie, where she had several sell-out exhibitions. She enjoyed her success painting the villages and harbours of The East Neuk for a few years before moving to the Scottish cities for inspiration. Since then, she has done a series of Edinburgh paintings, which she exhibited, from the gallery downstairs at Belinda Robertson, on Dundas Street – work being snapped up by The Royal Bank of Scotland, amongst others. Recently, she has completed another series of paintings of Glasgow, planning to continue her success with more city paintings. This year she has combined sketching with family trips to both London and New York (so expect more soon!).

Jennifer’s continued success is due to her unique style capturing the charm of a place and the characters found there. Her use of colour and composition is bold and eye-catching and there is always a hint of humour adding to the appeal. “I love the East Neuk!”, says Jennifer, “Everywhere that you turn you see another potential painting. Inspiration comes easily. In the cities it’s more of a challenge. I realised that the key to my paintings lies in the characters that I portray in my work.

32

They provide the fun, the humour, and quite often the colour. In cities there are so many characters to choose from and that means even more inspiration for me. I am very excited to be exhibiting back in The East Neuk this year at The Pittenweem Arts Festival. It seems a fitting celebration of where my career started, and the end of my first decade as an artist”.

Anne’s work shows a definite interest in the picturesque and the drama of a coastal landscape.

Her main theme is the village and East Coast around her, and the west coast of Scotland, where she grew up, influenced by artists who have painted these themes before her, and re-interpreting them in her own work.

This exhibition will delight and entertain both local people and those who travel from further afield. All the works are for sale at prices ranging from £120, for a limited edition print, to £1200 for a large original painting.

Limited edition Jennifer Thomson prints, cards, placemats, and coasters will also be on sale at the exhibition. Opening times are from 10.00am-5.00pm.

For further information: Jennifer: Tel: 0131 317 8554 Mob: 0771 139 7812 www.jenniferthomson.com Anne: Tel: 01333 330 912 www.annedunlop.co.uk

(2 paintings courtesy Jennifer Thomson & Anne Dunlop)

EVENTS From Gillian Swanson

St Andrews Art Club Annual Exhibition The Art Club Summer Exhibition, open from July 24th to August 8th in the Club’s rooms 14c, Argyle Street, is a bit of a high spot in the Art Club Year. From August to March the clubrooms are in more or less daily use, holding classes, workshops, talks, and informal painting groups – all held in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

The result of this hard work is on view at the summer exhibition.

Framed paintings are for sale, and visitors can vote for their favourite picture. Eileen Bone’s prizewinning painting on the cover of this magazine is on show.

The Art Club is very popular, but the waiting list for membership has recently been reopened. Details: www.standrewsartclub@yahoo.co.uk

St Andrews Art Club

Annual Art Exhibition 2010 The Annual Exhibition will be held from Saturday 24th July to Sunday 8th August.

Opening times are Weekdays and Saturdays 10.15 to 5.00 p.m.

Sundays 12.30- 5.00 p.m.

Admission is free, there will be framed pictures for sale.

In the Club Rooms at 14c, Argyle Street, St Andrews.

Selected Events Thursday, 2 July – 7.30pm. Younger Hall, North Street, St Andrews. Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Music by Britten, Vaughan Williams, Strauss. Director / violin Alexander Janiczek.

Tickets from the Byre Theatre & Younger Hall. Web: www.sco.org.uk Saturday, 3 July – 9.00am-1.00pm. Argyle Street. Farmers’ Market.

Tuesday, 6 July – 12.45pm. The Prior’s House, Cathedral precincts. The second of a series of medieval harp recitals given by Simon Chadwick. Admission is Free, but please collect a ticket first from the Cathedral visitor centre. Contact: 01334 472 563.

Wednesday, 14 July – 7.30 (for 8.00)pm. Younger Hall, North Street. Highland Splendour, an evening of light music in aid of SSAFA Forces Help. Tickets, £10 from the box office, Byre Theatre: 01334 475 000.

Sunday, 25 July – 11.00am-3.00pm. Botanic Garden, St Andrews. Open Day. Art Competition for all age groups. Work to be completed and judged on the day, + ceilidh, food, children’s games, strawberries. Entry Free. Contact: 01334 476 452. www.st-andrews-botanic.org – 10.30am. Station Park, Old Guardbridge Road. St Andrews Highland Games. Contact: ig2@st-andrews.ac.uk Tuesday, 27 & Wednesday 28 July – 6.30 pm. Cambo Estate. A guided tour of parts of Cambo House, and playlets, set in World War II, by the Byre Writers Group, performed by Red Wine Productions. Tickets: £15.00 (which includes a glass of wine and access to the grounds) In conjunction with Crail Festival. Contact: www.camboestate.com Thursday, 29 July – 8.00pm. St Salvator’s Chapel, North Street.

Summer concert series. Tickets at the door, £6 / £5. Contact: 01334 462 226.

Thursday, 15 to Saturday, 17 July – 1.00pm-8.00pm (5.00pm Friday). Hope Park Church Hall, St Mary’s Place, St Andrews. Art Exhibition by the Fife Girls.

(All proceeds from paintings by A Fraser will go to the Church refurbishment fund). Admission Free. Contact: Rev. Ann Fraser 01334 461 329.

– 8.00pm. St Salvator’s Chapel, North Street. Summer concert series. Tickets at the door, £6 / £5. Contact: 01334 462 226.

Tuesday, 3 August – 12.45pm. The Prior’s House, Cathedral precincts.

The third of a series of medieval harp recitals given by Simon Chadwick. Admission is Free, but please collect a ticket first from the Cathedral visitor centre. Contact: 01334 472 563.

Saturday, 17 July – 10.00am-4.00pm. Town Hall, Queen’s Gardens. Craft Fair Contact: info@craftfairsscotland.co.uk

Monday, 10 & Tuesday, 11 August – Lammas Market & Fair

Tuesday, 20 to Saturday, 31 July – Various venues & times, Crail Festival. For full programme see www.crailfestival.co.uk (and this magazine page 30) Wednesday, 21 July – 7.00pm. BB Hall, Kinnessburn Road.

Concert by Billy Anderson. Tickets, £5 adults, £1 children.

Contact: 01334 472 987.

Thursday, 22 July – 8.00pm. St Salvator’s Chapel, North Street.

Summer concert series. Tickets at the door, £6 / £5. Contact: 01334 462 226.

Saturday, 24 July – 10.00am-4.00pm. Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns.

Designing a hard-working & beautiful herbaceous border with Head Gardener Elliott Forsyth. Tickets, including lunch, £55 (RHS members £45). Contact: 01333 450 054.

Saturday, 24 July to Sunday, 8 August – St Andrews Art Club Summer Exhibition. See above.

Thursday, 5 August – 8.00pm. St Salvator’s Chapel, North Street.

Summer concert series. Tickets at the door, £6 / £5. Contact: 01334 462 226.

Sunday, 15 August – 12noon-5.00pm. St Andrews Harbour Gala. Contact: Tel: 07793 242 376. Email: friendsofstandrewsharbour@googlemail.com Friday, 20 August – 7.30pm-11.00pm. BB Hall, Kinnessburn Road.

Ceilidh in aid of the St Andrews & District Community Safety Panel. Gary Sutherland, accordion. Tickets at the door: £6, children under 12 Free. Contact: 01334 418 745.

Saturday, 28 August – 10.00am-4.00pm. Victory Memorial Hall, St Mary’s Place.

Book Sale. Admission Free.

– 10.00am-5.00pm. Town Hall, Queen’s Gardens. Antique & Collectors’ Fair. Senior Citizens, £1, students, 50p. Contact: 01334 838 217.

Sunday, 29 August – 2.00pm. BB Hall, Kinnessburn Road. Walking Treasure Hunt of St Andrews. Prizes & cream tea on return.

A fun start to the new BB session. Contact: Bill Sutherland, 01334 473 541.

33

OUT & ABOUT Alistair Lawson on the trail of

Scotland’s 5th Colourist The east of Scotland can lay claim to close associations with the painter known as “Scotland’s 5th colourist”, John MacLauchlan Milne (1885 – 1957), who managed to obtain the patronage of a number of prominent Dundee business people in the first half

John MacLauchlan on the right (1930s)

of the last century. His subject matter included some of the same themes as that of his betterknown contemporaries, i.e. Fife coastal villages, the Scottish west coast, and the French Riviera.

The accompanying picture, dated 1919, purports to show one of the Fife fishing villages, but the precise location remains tantalisingly obscure. The ‘KY’ on the boats indicates that they were registered in Kirkcaldy, but can any reader identify with certainty which harbour they are in? The white tower ought to give a clue, though it may well have disappeared between 1919 and the present. The owner of the picture will be delighted to receive comment, via the editor. Let’s hope that, by

pooling the knowledge of all St Andrews in Focus readers, we can solve this 90 year-old mystery.

(Images courtesy Alistair Lawson)

Hamish Brown relishes

The Chain Walk, Fife Whenever I have guests I take them onto the Fife Coastal Path (FCP).

The stretch from Lower Largo to Elie offers the fun option of tackling the Chain Walk, Scotland’s 1927 via ferrata. Lower Largo, the start, is famous as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, prototype for Robinson Crusoe.

Marooned on a Pacific island for four years, his monument shows him dressed in skins. Defoe cashed in on the story.

From the east end of the village the FCP heads along an old railway, a bit uninteresting, so I always take to the shore to walk the sands of Largo Bay. The concrete blocks were anti-tank defences from World War Two. At the end of the sands bridges cross the contorting Cocklemill Burn and a track leads on through to the Shell Bay caravan park which we skirt, rounding the bay, our path tight between fields and shore. Kincraig Point beyond shows marked steps, which are raised beaches from the various glacial epochs (the weight of ice compressed the ground level). telescope, which is used to ensure a clear fairway ahead for those driving The FCP goes up these steps to traverse Kincraig Point, at 206ft / 63m off. The church tower’s original clock mechanism was taken to operate the ‘low high point’ of our walk – (big WW2 gun emplacements, etc) then Edinburgh’s famous Floral Clock. There are only three drops down to Earlsferry golf course and the warmclock faces; when built there were no houses inland coloured sands. I like this flowery traverse, an SSSI The energetic might like to so they economised. with cowslips and cranesbill in season, but there’s the do the Chain Walk one way The energetic might like to do the Chain Walk one fun alternative. and then return to the start way and then return to the start by going over the top, At the raised beaches a path drops to a rocky by going over the top or doing ‘a quickie’ of the two options from Earlsferry. shore to reach the Chain Walk, not an escapade for the timorous: it is strenuous – but highly entertaining.

Distance: 5 miles / 8km.

We keep along high to reach the first chain and lower ourselves down, Ascent: 250ft / 75m. hand over hand. And that is how it continues. Hauling up or down is Time: 2½ hours, add 1 hour for Chain Walk. helped by bucket steps cut in the rock. Beware too, at high tide parts are Start: Lower Largo, car park E end. GR NT 425025. under water! Interesting features include a pebble storm beach of egg-like Finish: Elie GR NT 495001. stones, a natural arch, caves and columnar basalt pillars like you see at Maps: Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 59 (St Andrews). the Giants’ Causeway. The crux as I see it is a down-along ledge leading Information: St Andrews 01334-472 021. to a step across to a detached fin of rock – but there are good holds.

Route: Keep the sea on the right! From Lower Largo, a nice mix of long The longest horizontal chain marks the end thereafter. Phew! The FCP is sandy stretch, Cocklemill Bum, Shell Bay, and either over Kincraig rejoined.

Point or pass below it by the Chain We follow a sunken track from the end of the sands up through the Walk. Continue through Earlsferry to golf course. (Beware flying golf balls!) Ahead is Earlsferry which runs Elie. Bus back to Upper Largo and on into Elie without any break. Macduff, fleeing Macbeth, took the ferry take Serpentine Walk path down to from here, hence the name. North Berwick Law and the Bass Rock are Lower Largo. prominent. If refreshments appeal turn up Golf Club Lane to a café at the golf/tennis complex. Note the sexist golfing notices and the submarine’s (Photos courtesy Hamish Brown)

34

OUT & ABOUT Christopher MacLachlan

The Seagulls’ Flypast (to the Tune: The Dambusters March) We’re the seagulls of St Andrews and we rule the city’s skies, From morning until evening you can hear our laughing cries; We really have no notion, Of taking to the ocean – Al fresco, by Tesco, We live on pies and fries.

We’re always on patrol along each main St Andrews street, And in every nook and cranny we find lots of things to eat; We lick our chops as we fill our crops with the stuff that drops from fast-food shops – We’re the gourmet-dining seagulls of St Andrews.

We’re winging over St Andrews, Bright squadrons up in the clouds, whose Mission boldly we declare: Take command of the air.

Our Air Vice Marshall’s told us That he’ll officially scold us If we miss our targets while we’re high up there.

We pretend to take no notice of those flashy Leuchars boys, Who buzz about among us in their multi-million toys; It occasionally strikes us, If they want to be more like us, They should flap wings, like lapwings, And make a lot less noise.

On the other hand we’re rather fond of shiny motor cars, That park outside the colleges and restaurants and bars, For it’s our delight, from a medium height, to drop our mite on the paint-work bright, And then the drivers understand They’ve met the finest in the land: The St Andrews Seagull Strike Command, Who do exactly as we’ve planned, For this is life that we all choose, While in formation we all cruise, Winging across St Andrews, Bright squadrons up in the clouds, whose Mission we share, Command of the air – And we promise that we’ll do whatever’s needed to achieve it – We’re flying higher and faster, ‘Per ardua ad astra’, Into heights of danger, where None but heroes dare.

We soar into the sunlight, To claim our aerial birthright – There is nothing underneath us can compare With the royal high-ness of the kings – and queens – of the air.

Photos by kind permission of John Anderson (Crail Birder: www.pbase.com/crail_birder )

Bob Mitchell, Hon. Curator of the Botanic Garden, tells of

A Gladiolus with a St Andrews link (Originally published in the newsletter of the Botanic Garden) In the St Andrews University Library archives the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, a there is a collection of photographs taken by position he held for 4 years. After a while Dr John Wilson (1858-1929), the founder of the in Leeds – he founded the Botanic Garden St Andrews University Botanic there – he returned to Garden in 1889. One of the St Andrews in1899 to This is an elegant photographs is of Tritonia lecture in agriculture wilsonii which was named by plant with a spike of 4 and to start his plant John Gilbert Baker (1834programmes. to 12 fragrant flowers breeding 1920) in 1886 in Gardeners’ Alexander emigrated to Chronicle and authenticated the USA and worked for in Flora Capensis in 1897. Subsequently there the San Francisco branch of the Liverpoolhas been a name change and the plant, with based firm of importers, Balfour, Guthrie and authorities, is now called Gladiolus wilsonii Company from 1886. It is highly likely he (Baker) Goldblatt and J.C. Manning. was, with senior directors of this Alexander Wilson (1860-1942), the firm, a founding member of San youngest of the three Wilson brothers, sent Francisco Golf Club in 1895. back a number of bulbs, which also included According to Manning, Albuca corymbosa, from Port Elizabeth in Goldblatt and Snijman, Gladiolus Eastern Cape Province, South Africa in wilsonii grows in grassy areas 1885. They flowered the following year at in the East Cape between the Greenside Nursery in St Andrews owned Humansdorp and Transkei. by their father, James Wilson (1835-1905).

This is the summer rainfall area Herbarium specimens were made and sent where it flowers in October and to Kew (ref K000320934 and K000257287 November. This is an elegant respectively) by John Wilson and were plant with a spike of 4 to 12 researched by Baker who discovered these fragrant flowers. They are white were new species. We are not sure if the to cream in colour, often flushed Tritonia was named for Alexander or for John, pink to purple on the outer or perhaps both, as Goldblatt and Manning tepal. The anthers are lavendersuggest. coloured and are covered by the In 1890 John Wilson was appointed hood. After many years I have Curator of the Herbarium and Library at at last been able to get seed

from a wild population in Middledrift Farm, belonging to Rhoda and Cameron McMaster, in the Cathcart region of the Eastern Cape.

The seed from Cameron McMaster has been shared between St Andrews Botanic Garden and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, with the John Wilson link. So in a few years we hope to have flowering plants to match the Wilson photograph. (I am grateful to Cameron McMaster for sending me the photograph).

(Photo by Cameron McMaster)

35

freshly cooked fish and chips in St Andrews!

SAVE UP TO 10%

with our Loyalty Card Save up your credits and get Free Meals!

**** LUNCHTIME MEAL DEALS including Half Fish Suppers Cheeseburgers Pizza Slices and more!

Great Prices and Loyalty Card Savings!

1 Union Street St Andrews Formerly PM’s – we’re at The east end of Market Street